The Lost American
by Ms. Shapes
Summary: Lost in her new home of Helsinki Micheal-ann Welsh has a tryst with a complete stranger. The stranger turns out to be Ville Valo of the band HIM, and although starting out as a meaningless moment of passion, neither can seem to stay away.
1. Lost

For hours on end, the twisting alleys of the Finish town of Helsinki had tortured Micheal-ann Welsh, taking her every single place than her cousin's flat.

She had left the small pub where her cousin had abandoned her mid afternoon, the crowded smoky place giving her an awful headache, and she was positive it was past eight by now. Micheal-ann honestly hadn't seen the point in asking any of the few people she had seen for directions, considering she had no blasted idea where either the pub or the flat were. The fact that she didn't speak a lick of Finnish contributed to her predicament as well.

Stopping at a four way cross of back alleys, Micheal-ann groaned in annoyance and pulled her thick beanie off her head. Light brown curls dropped a bit past her shoulders, framing a heart shaped face. Her pale pink lips were slightly chapped from the frigid air, her cheeks slightly rosy underneath her tan Mediterranean skin.

Micheal-ann licked her lips before stuffing the hat into her thick coat pocket, tucking a few stray strands of curls behind her ear. She looked about for any signs, anything that might give her an idea as to were she was. Honestly she knew it wouldn't make a difference considering she didn't have a map, but she also hoped for a sign symbolizing a hotel or phone.

When she found none, Micheal-ann sniffled, rubbing her small pink nose, kicking at the filthy stones with her leather knee high boots.

The sky was dark, speckled with distant stars that waned ever so often from the rising smoke from random buildings and factories. The city was calm, the noise of city life faint, and more of a relaxing hum.

Micheal-ann felt the need to brush at her dark green coat, as she played the child's game of eenie-meenie in mind to find which way she should go next. Just as she landed on the alleyway to her right, a noise sent chills straight up her spine. It was the sound made when someone sucked the air between their two front teeth, and it sounded far to close for comfort.

Whirling around, her Celtic green eyes wide with surprise, she instantly felt like an idiot. A man a little taller than her five'six height, stood dangerously close to where she had just been, his head bald, a sick grin on his thin lips with eyes so close to black she could hardly find pupils. Honestly, she could kill her cousin for leaving her at that pub now.

He said something in Finnish, and his voice scraped against her ears like nails on a chalkboard. Micheal-ann began to glance around the alleyway for anything she might use to defend her self, and almost cursed when all she found was trash, and a few broken records. The man spoke again, this time his lips curling up to show yellowing teeth, as he took a few steps forward.

Out of simple instinct, Micheal-ann followed his movements, taking a few steps back as well. Her mind raced as thoughts of fighting her way out began to surface. The man wasn't skinny, and she could see through his thin clothes that any muscle he once had was turning quickly to fat. All in all, she could put up a hell of a fight, her own body honed by years of swimming.

The man made a jerky move and Micheal-ann couldn't help the shocked cry jumping back like a cat might do to water.

Suddenly another male voice filled the alleyway from the left alley's darkness. It also spoke Finnish but this man's voice was deep and lilting, the foreign words spoken with such eloquence Micheal-ann almost lost her train of though in them.

It was now the bald man's turn to jump away from her as if she suddenly had contracted the plague and with a few uttered Finnish words, he hustled away with as much sound as he had made in sneaking up on her. Watching his back fade into the darkness, Micheal-ann sighed in relief.

"You ought to be more careful as to where you decide to rest a moment." The same voice that had spoken in Finnish, now filled the dark with the same robust sound, this time in English. Micheal-ann chuckled nervously as she strained to see the man who was speaking. A wave of relief went through her at first, someone who spoke English!

After a few moments, a clicking noise came as a flame flared to life lighting the left alley for an equal few moments. In those few moments Micheal-ann managed to make out long dark hair, pale lily white skin, and dark red lips that were wrapped around a cigarette the man was lighting. Micheal-ann could also tell that he was tall, nearly a foot taller than herself.

"I wasn't trying to be in a place like this, where I'd have to be careful I mean." A rumble came from the man's chest, which she assumed was a laugh.

"I'm very sure you weren't."

The man pulled the cigarette from his mouth, the tip of which was the only thing allowing Micheal-ann to tell where he was, as a cloud of smoke wafted into the sky.

Micheal-ann cleared her throat and then allowed a shaky smile to grace her lips, as she pulled the beanie from her pocket, her hands fidgeting with it.

"Well, thank you for whatever you said to make him leave, if you hadn't been here it probably would have ended messy."

"It would have."

"Oh.."

Micheal-ann had to focus from being entranced by his silky voice as she tried to glance everywhere but at the tip of the lit cigarette. After a bit of awkward silence, the cigarette began to move closer to her at a slow pace, until the cigarette light turned dull, and the man stepped into the dim light of the alleyway. With him entering the light, Micheal-ann's breath left.

He was in every masculine sense of the word, _gorgeous_.

His jaw line was stubborn, his cheek bones high, the outline giving his entire face a sunken look. His eyes were large and watched her without any hesitation, the color a mix between a moss green and sky blue. His lips were deep crimson, made more so by the white of his face, shaped to form a perfect V under his aquiline nose. His hair was a dark brown, that reached an inch above his shoulders, his neck thick and covered by a black scarf.

Micheal-ann would have been drooling if the air hadn't been so dry, evaporating any saliva that left her mouth.

"Your American." It was a statement that needed no answer as she continued to drink his gorgeous-ness in.

He wore a black coat that buttoned military style all the way to his throat, a pair of tight black jeans, and black Italian boots that screamed expensive.

The man took another breath out of the cigarette before flicking the half finished nicotine to the floor where it burned brightly for a few more moments.

He watched it before looking her in the eye and gave her a smile so wicked, the breath that had left hitch hiked all the way back home to New York.

"And your lost." Micheal-ann, now officially dumber than she'd been a few minutes ago, simply nodded. He could of said anything at that moment and she would have done the same action in all honesty.

Holding out his arm, the man smiled again, and motioned with his other hand towards the darkness from where he had come.

"I have a phone inside, if you'd like to come with me."

Micheal-ann hesitated. He might have been insanely gorgeous but he still was a stranger in a foreign country, in a dark alley. But he had scared the other man away, and if he wanted to hurt her, he could have done so several minutes ago. Besides she really needed to use a phone, and here was her opportunity.

Before taking his arm, Micheal-ann held out a palm, flashing her own smile which had caused many a man to walk into inanimate objects.

"Micheal-ann Welsh." One side of his lips lifted as he never broke eye contact with her, sliding his hand into hers, the heat searing her.

"Ville Valo."

Her smile shaking a little, Micheal-ann moved to place her palm on his arm, and with it he moved towards the dark without another word.

Leading her to a door she hadn't seen before, Ville produced a key out of his pocket, and after unlocking the door, he held it open with the wicked smile he had given her before.

"After you, Micheal-ann Welsh." Unable to handle his unabashed staring, Micheal-ann slid inside the well lit building and instantly felt color rise to her cheeks, having nothing to do with the cold.

Micheal-ann had stepped right into a shop that held shelves, and shelves of sex toys, magazines, videos, condoms, and all other sorts of goodies that left her wide mouthed and her stomach to tie into knots.

A tingle ran through out her body when Ville placed a hand on her hip, his lips so close to her ear she could feel the breath it took for him to speak.

"I may have forgotten to mention, my family owns a sex shop." She could hardly care less as she focused on his hand that sent a warmth straight to the pit of her stomach and she found her self leaning back to push her back into this Ville Valo's chest.

A few hours ago she would have shirked at the idea that she'd be cozying up to a complete stranger, surrounded by sex swings and dildo's none the less, but at the moment she couldn't think of anything she'd like to do more. Her mind couldn't focus on a damn thing, and with it, her morals and values seemed to fade into the clockwork leaving her with only the feel of his fingertips.

How had this scene changed so quickly, she'd have to ponder on that later because before she could gather her thoughts Ville's other hand moved underneath her coat to burn the flesh on her hip. She could feel his lips on her earlobe and she all but lost the ability to stand.

"Your awfully close…"

Micheal's breath came out ragged and rushed, her breath catching in her throat as she struggled to regain any sense, sense that he was a stranger, and she needed to get home.

"Am I? I was thinking I wasn't close enough."

Ville hadn't been with a woman since Joanne, hadn't even dreamed of touching some stranger off the street, but the moment he'd seen this woman completely oblivious to her surroundings lost, that had changed.

He wanted her, and for once his over rational heart was silent.

"Aren't you worried about getting this close, I am a complete stranger."

"No your not. Your Micheal-ann Welsh, and I'm Ville Valo. We're not strangers, and we never will be again." His breath sent shivers down Micheal-ann's spine, her back slowly leaning farther into the Finnish man's chest that was just the solid foundation she needed as her world went hazy.

"I don't want to know anything else about you. Is that wrong?" Were those words came from, Micheal-ann didn't know. In less than a minute she went from needing a phone, to offering herself up for a one night stand.

Without an answer, Micheal-ann was suddenly yanked back and pushed up against the wall next to the door they had just come through.

Ville's hands raced underneath her coat, pushing up the thick material till it pooled around her chest, leaving her stomach bare. His teeth scraped against her neck, as his breath was hot on her ear, sending shivers down her back as he squished her against the wall with his weight.

The shop was thankfully clear of any costumers or workers, but the threat of anyone coming in set a sense of urgency in both Micheal-ann and Ville, sending both into a frenzy of need.

One of Ville's hands dove into the jeans Micheal-ann had worn and within second his fingers had found her already throbbing clit. Giving off a gasp of surprise, She instinctively opened her legs wider.

His fingertips ran down her clit a few times, teasing her already slickening hole, before he began to roll her nub between his index finger and pointer finger.

Micheal-ann moaned softly as she rested her chest against the wall, barely aware as his other hand yanked at her coat buttons until it fell apart, leaving her tank top pulled half over her breasts, one barely covered by her bra in the open.

Micheal-ann could feel the erection already hard as a rock pushing up against her back, and as he rolled her clit between his fingers, Micheal-ann wiggled her butt.

Ville groaned slightly as her body rubbed against his dick, sending jolts through out his body, his fingers already getting coated by the American girl's wetness. With a yank, he tore Micheal-ann's bra, collecting one of her breast's in his hand rubbing her nipple with his palm as her moans grew louder.

She should have been pissed considering that bra had cost her nearly sixty bucks, but it only made her wetter as his fingers worked magic on her pussy. Reaching a hand around, she was able to find his belt and yanked on it, sending his erection and his body closer to hers if that was even possible making both of them moan loudly.

Leaving her breast's alone Ville haphazardly yanked and pulled at his belt till it hung on the belt loops undone, and expertly managed to undo the button and zipper on his jeans.

Pulling his hand away from the American woman's clit, drawing a whimper from her, he did the same for her jeans. Once they were undone he used both of his hands to shove her jeans down past her knees. Blissfully, she wasn't wearing any underwear.

Micheal-ann bit her lip as she spread her legs as best as her jeans now around her ankles allowed her to and stuck out her butt as close to his crotch as she could. She placed her forearms against the wall, her head turned, her peripheral catching Ville's eye. His pupils were dilated, as with a little slower movement gave his own pants a shove, sending them to mimic her own.

Putting a hand on her hip, once again sending jolts to the pit of her stomach, Ville pulled up his own shirt and jacket that were covering his hard dick and positioned himself behind Micheal-ann holding her eye.

Micheal-ann was completely unprepared for when Ville suddenly shoved his shaft into her pussy, as his dick stretched her out to a width she hadn't felt in a long time, if ever. Both of them gave off a groan of satisfaction, his because of the slickness and the heat from her pussy and her because of the size of his dick and the sheer eroticism of having sex in a sex shop.

Ville's hands grasped onto her hips so tightly, she could feel the bruises forming already as he began to barrel into her with force. She banged into the wall, as her mind reeled, her moans loud and sporadic.

He pistoned into her like a starving man put before a turkey dinner, breathing heavily as he dug his nails purposefully into the brown flesh of her hips. As he stroked faster, her ass rippled with the force, and for a moment he became mesmerized by it.

Heat began to build in Micheal-ann's stomach, the likes of which she had never felt before. His strokes grew more vicious and strong as he to began to feel the burn in his balls, as she got tighter and more tense.

She cried out as she felt his nails cut her skin, and with it sent her over the edge, as her stomach muscles spasmed, her legs shook, and her mind reeled. Ville growled as she tightened and cried out and slammed her body onto his until he to came, the ecstasy sending his entire bodies weight to meld into her own.

Both of them stood transfixed and dazed for a minute, until Ville slowly shrunk and slipped out of her body. Still they didn't move.

Micheal-ann's sense came back to her in full force, as she realized she just had unprotected sex with a strange Finnish guy, in a sex shop, while lost. What the hell was she thinking? That was the point, she hadn't been thinking. She also became very aware of her awkward half naked state, as well as the man's warm heaviness resting against her back. His breath was back on her neck, as his face rested on her shoulder.

"Uhm, Ville, I think we should get cleaned up now." That seemed to jolt Ville into reality as he instantly pulled away leaving Micheal-ann, feeling even more naked now than ever, backing up to the opposite wall.

Micheal-ann's head screamed as she pulled her tank top down, deciding not even to bother with the broken bra now on the floor at her feet. A small towel with the emblem of a cartoon vagina was thrust into her vision and she mumbled a soft thanks before cleaning her self up.

Bending down, she pulled her jeans up buttoning them quickly before turning to face the Finnish man. He stood a bit off watching her with his unblinking eyes, his expression nondescript, looking exactly as he had in the alley minutes before.

Had it only been minutes? It felt far longer than that.

Sheepishly Micheal-ann held out the now dirty towel, and with a side smile Ville grabbed it and moved disappearing for a moment into the shop but she could still hear the sound of the towel finding its way into a trashcan. She shakily buttoned her coat as he moved back into view.

"It's on the counter." Confused Micheal-ann met his haunting gaze again and his half smile turned wickeder than ever.

"The phone you were needing?"

"Oh yes, thank you."

"No, thank you."

A blush ran its way through her cheeks again as she nodded and moved past him sluggishly towards the counter he motioned towards. She kept back a slight hiss , as her jeans rubbed against her sore hips.

She plugged her cousin's number into the telephone and kept her back to Ville as she waited for her to pick up.

After a few moments the droning of the tone dissipated and her cousin Alexandra's voice answered.

"Moi?"

"Alex, it's Micheal. Can you come get me? I got a bit lost."

"eh, I was wondering where you went, I got back to the pub and you weren't there. Thought you'd got on with one of the _miehet_." Micheal-ann's face heated, considering her cousin thinking shed gone off with a man, hadn't been exactly wrong all together.

"Ni, can you come get me?"

"Well, where are yah?"

Pulling away from the phone, Micheal-ann turned and still looking down asked quickly.

"Where are we?"

"Viideslinja 7"

Relaying the address to Alex, her cousin literally choked on the phone.

"Your at the sex shop? Last place id think to find you, especially considering, my flat is right across the street idiot."

Micheal-ann didn't even bother to answer as she placed the phone back on its receiver, and turned to face the unnerving man.

"All right well, I know where I need to go now. So' ill be-a going there." His smile continued to send shivers through her body as she side stepped towards the front of the door.

Micheal-ann gave a half hearted awkward wave before practically sprinting towards the front door, only to be stopped by him practically bellowing.

"_Odottakaas_!" Her feet came to a stop before she could even think twice.

His command to wait a moment headed, she turned as he grabbed a thicker trench coat that had been next to the phone and rummaged inside the pocket.

Once he had found was he had been looking for, he strode towards her, his entire aura lighting her fire again, even though her sensible side still shriveled inside, appalled at what she'd just done.

Reaching her, Ville raised his hand holding two sheets of paper that she slowly realized were passes to some sort of show.

"Come to my show tomorrow night. You and this Alex."

Micheal-ann bit her lip as she glanced outside and sure enough across the way was the squat little building of her cousin's flat. She shouldn't. This was a mistake, and once she left she was going to freak out anyway. He was a stranger, and she had said it herself, just bodies. Yet, she didn't say only for tonight..

Some inhuman power raised her hand and she pulled the passes from his hand and tucked them neatly inside her coat pocket.

"I will see you tomorrow night."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Miehet<strong>_ - Men

_**Odottakaas**_ – Wait a moment


	2. Inspiration

Micheal-ann Welsh slid to the floor of the apartment building's landing gathering her head in her hands as soon as the front door behind her. Tears stung at the back of her eyes, for what reason she wasn't quite sure.

She wasn't quite sure of a lot at the moment as the last thirty minutes played out like a movie reel in her brain, taunting her. She hadn't done anything like that before in her life, hadn't even thought of it.

Micheal-ann was waiting for the sense of disgust for the Finnish man to rush over her, breathing shallowly. She was surprised further when she felt none, realizing that although she was appalled at the fact that she just had random stranger sex, she wasn't disgusted at THE sex.

Micheal-ann in every where had loved the rough, quick sex that her and Ville had just shared. It was oddly erotic that while they had sex, they had never kissed. They hadn't needed any foreplay of any kind, they had just needed a release. Micheal-ann had never needed someone that quickly, let alone a complete stranger.

"What are you doing in the hallway Micheal?" Micheal literally jumped and looked to where Alexandra Welsh hung out from the stair door with a quizzical look on her face.

With light brown hair cut short, a heart shaped face, and large brown eyes, Micheal's cousin reminded her of a pixie, or a nymph. Standing at five feet, with the skinniest build she'd ever seen, it only added to the image.

Collecting her thoughts Micheal-ann clumsily stood up from the floor smiling as wide as her face woiuld allow her.

"I was taking a breather, cause I was tired. Because I had been walking all the way from t he bar, not because I was doing anything else."

Alexandra cocked an eyebrow before rolling her eyes and jerked her head towards the stairs.

"Well come on creep, I've got _karjalanpiirakka_ baking in the oven, and we, my dazed cousin, are celebrating."

Moving to the stairs, Micheal-ann followed her cousin trying to focus her thoughts to the rice filled pastry rather than the man she'd just trysted with.

"What are we celebrating?"

"The fact that this is your last week of freedom before your classes start up."

"Were celebrating that?"

"Were Finnish. We use every excuse to booze." Micheal-ann couldn't help but laugh as she closed the second story flat's front door and peeled her coat off her still warm body.

Alex ran to the open kitchen and pried open the small oven's door humming underneath her breath, as sure enough two eight packs of beer sat on the counter as well as a carton of cigarettes.

As she went to set her jacket on the small coat racket, a crinkle of paper reminded her of the passes that the Finnish man had given her and she slowly pulled them from her pocket. They were black with a weird design on the front that had a heart within a triangle. In bold letting also in black were three letters. HIM. The rest was in Finnish, leaving her confused.

"Alex?"

"Mhmm?"

"Have you ever heard of an artist named HIM?"

The scoff that followed her question made Micheal-ann turn around the face the kitchen where her cousin was closing the oven with a sarcastic smile on her lips.

"Have I heard of HIM? Is that a joke? Weren't you just in _Aikuisten lelukauppa?_"

"You've literally answered my question with three more Alex. How about an answer?"

Alex gave her a vicious glare before moving to pull a beer from the pack, and took the cap off with her hand, taking a small sip before shrugging.

"Yeah, they are well known in Finland. The lead singers father owns the sex shop across the street. Why?"

Deciding against being vague, Micheal-ann raised the two passes so her cousin could see them. Alex's mouth fell open in shock as she rushed forward grabbing the passes practically sputtering.

"How the hell did you get backstage passes, you lucky whore?"

Micheal-ann just wanted Alex to shut up as they power walked across the street to the On The Rocks concert club.

They had taken a cab from her cousins flat and after a six minute drive, had been dropped across the venue. Alex couldn't stop about her excitement and her continuous questions about how she had gotten the tickets. Micheal-ann on the other hand was silent. She didn't know why she hadn't just thrown the tickets out. She had now idea what she was going to say or do, how to face this infamous lead singer.

Her cousin took the lead, who haughtily flashed the passes to the door man, speaking in Finnish. The man motioned into the dark club, as Alex thanked him and grabbed onto Micheal-ann's arm dragging her behind as she continued her rant in English.

In all honesty Micheal-ann hadn't even realized they had past another bouncer, until Alex finally stopped plowing forward and shoved her in front of her.

"Your leading the way cousin, you got the passes." Instantly Micheal-ann shook her head and attempted to grab her cousin's arm to push her forward.

"Not me, nope. Not going to happen. No. NI." She shook her head so vigorously that her neck began to hurt as Alex fended her off easily.

Her cousin gave her a solid push, and being completely un-expecting went sprawling deeper into the hall just in time to slam right into an opening door.

The impact of the swinging door, as well as her own velocity, literally knocked all sense from her mind as her vision went hazy.

It felt like a thousand years before her intellect caught up to reality as a bare room came into focus and a vicious headache came bitterly right after that.

"_Ville, Olemme kymmenen minuuttia myöhässä_." Micheal blinked slowly and felt the hand that softly touched her forehead before she saw the thin wrist with a heart tattoo with writing in it.

"_Se__on__Club Show__. __He__voivat__odottaa__vielä viisi__minuuttia_." A scoff came from her right, and without a thought she let her head loll to the side to see a large brown covered man disappear out of a hole in the stark white wall.

She tried to find the words to ask who that was, and where she was, but she forget how to speak. She opened her mouth but no sound came out no matter how hard she tried.

"We keep meeting at your worst moments. First your lost, now your passing out. Next will you use a chainsaw as a comb?" The sarcastic tone with which the accent was delivered singed her pride slightly as she forced her head back to it original position.

Her vision slightly cleared she was greeted with the small smile of Ville Valo.

She still couldn't find words but she managed a small smile of her own as she shut her eyes, the headache shooting sharp pains through out her skull.

"And you smile? Your awefully cracked sweet."

Finally Micheal-ann remembered how to speak English and when she opened her mouth to speak, croaked.

"You had sex with me."

"Yes I did."

"In your family's sex shop."

"My dad's sex shop."

"Wow. I never woulda guessed that one."

Opening her eyes, that now thankfully focused with only a slight fuzz on the boundaries of her vision, Micheal tried to look around for her cousin as her voice interjected into her trance.

"Alex?"

"No, I don't want to touch that one with a twenty foot pole. I'm going outside for a drink for a moment." Micheal managed to sit up slightly as her cousin got up from the corner seat as she shook her head.

Micheal didn't miss the sly smile her cousin held though as she opened the door. Before exiting Alex stopped a moment before adding in Finnish.

" _Se__on__serkkuni__Valo__, __Sinun on parempi__katsoa__itse_." Glancing as best she could at Ville she saw him nod slowly, and Alex whom must have been content with that left closing the door silently.

Sighing Micheal-ann raised a hand placing it against her temple finally securing her gaze onto Ville Valo.

She searched her now slowly recovering mind for something to say as his fierce gaze sent chills through out her entire body, slightly aware that he sat right next to her body.

"Hei." Ville began to laugh as he leaned forward leaning on a hand that rested on the oppsite side of her body leaning very close to her face.

"Haloo Micheal-ann Welsh." The way it was spoken, sent another shiver down her body and heat to her stomach and all but cleared the headache that was raging through her sore head.

She tore her gaze from his as she glanced about the room. They took up the entire couch, while four other small lounge chairs were scattered about. A small wooden coffee table stood next to the couch covered with a tissue box, a few bloody tissues, an ice pack, and a huge physician size ibuprofen bottle.

"Im guessing all that is for, and from me." Glancing at the table Ville nodded and reached with his free hand, brushing hair off her forhead again with a half smile.

"Well, how are you feeling then?" Ville began to laugh again as he pulled away slowly from the closeness he had achieved towards her face.

"I'm not the one who just lost conciousness sweet, aren't I supposed to be asking that question?"

"Depends. You look like how I feel." Chuckles erupted from Ville's chest as he shook his head slightly, a beanie constricting his hair, his green eyes snapping with humor.

"Well don't go trying to charm me now."

"If that's what is charming to you, I'm scared to see what might get you off."

"Well seeing as you've gotten me off, you would know first hand."

"I'm almost throughly convinced it was the sex shop. I was more of a fleshy blow up doll."

"A very pretty one though."

"That'll be a good resume point."

Ville once again laughed so loudly, Micheal-ann felt a twinge go through her aching head but still couldnt quench the smile that spread over her lips.

As she smiled she felt her nose and lip slightly throb and instictively reached a hand up to touch both. There was a cut that split one side of her smile, and her nose was slightly puffed, and she was sure that a bruise was forming.

"So Ville Valo from the band HIM, shouldn't you be on stage?" Ville smiled and reached forward forcing her hand away from feeling her face holding her hand within his fingers.

"In a moment. I wanted to make sure my guest was allright after her face plant into my door."

Flinching Micheal-ann pulled her hand(That was quickly going numb from his touch) and slowly pushed her body to a full sitting up position.

"I must look like hell."

"Sweet, I look like hell. You look like im going to be uncomfortable in my jeans during this show."

Blushing Micheal-ann couldn't help but glance down to his crotch where sure enough a large bulge was formed giving his arousal away.

"Well I'm sure your fans will be happy."

"At the moment, you look happy about it to."

"Your awefully straight forward Mr. Valo, considering we've only met once."

"We've also already had sex. Which was phenominal, but hardly placating considering it was a quick tryst. I am very much an advocate that we take our time the next time."

Scoffing, lost for words, Micheal watched as her quickly grabbed the ibuprofen bottle shaking out six and handing them to her along with a water bottle he managed to manifest from beside him.

Swallowing the pills down and chugging a bit of water for good measure Micheal-ann finally asked breathlessly.

"How presumptious. I don't believe the other half in that equation consented to a sequel of our sex-shop-capades."

Ville's smile was so wicked, she shivered visibly this time as he leaned in, so close his lips barely brushed her own. His hot breath spread goosebumps over her skin, and his eyes sparkled so dangerously she didn't dare breath. One of his hands cupped her cheek as he took his time slowly torturing her.

"You took the passes. You came to my show. I'll see you after sweet." With an ease and smoothness that Micheal wished she could of had at that point, Ville pulled away, brushed at his shirt. He glanced at his bulge, flashed her the same wicked smile and strode out of the room as easy as you please.

Not a moment later, Alex entered the room taking a long sip from a straw stuck into a large rum and coke.

Alex smacked her lips before taking the same seat she had left and crossing her legs, all while staring at her carefully.

Finally she spoke up, her voice filled with humor.

"Well, you've been in Helsinki for two weeks and already snagged a Finnish sex symbol, while I've been here for ten years and have only slept with men who steal or don't call back. You are an inspiration. Truly."

The sarcasm and hint of laughter behind Alex's voice forced Micheal-ann to lay back down grabbing the icepack placing it gingerly on her nose.

"Shut-up Alex."

_**karjalanpiirakka**_ - pasties made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter and boiled eggs are then put on the top before eaten.

_**Aikuisten lelukauppa**__ – _Adult Toy Store

_**Olemme kymmenen minuuttia myöhässä **_– We are ten minutes late

_**Se**____**on**____**Club Show**__**. **__**He**____**voivat**____**odottaa**____**vielä viisi**____**minuuttia**_ - It is a Club Show. They can wait for another five minutes

_**Se**____**on**____**serkkuni**____**Valo**__**, **__**Sinun on parempi**____**katsoa**____**itse**_ - It is my cousin, Valo, You better watch yourself


	3. Rationalize

Alexandra had blissfully stayed silent as the headache and throbbing of Micheal-ann's brain and nose ebbed away, till only a small pang of pain was left.

Slowly lifting the icepack from her numb face, Micheal slowly sat up and glanced at her cousin whom has plastered herself to the wall listening to the loud music that easily penetrated the thin walls, bumping her head along to it.

"So Alex, how do I look?" Micheal smiled as wide as her split lip would allow her splaying her hands out in a 'ta-da' fashion. Her cousin took one look at her and began to giggle.

Micheal-ann gasped and looked down at her now rumpled black silk tank-top, red cardigan and dark blue skinny jeans and looked back to her cousin.

"What?"

"You look like shit. Literally."

"Thanks. I'm so glad were family."

Alex laughed out loud and then unfolded her legs standing up stretching slightly before motioning towards the door.

"You up to watch the last few songs you think?" Micheal could see the want in her cousin's eyes and felt horrible that her cousin had stayed with her when she really didn't need a chaperone.

"Yeah, lets go." As she moved to get up, her head became cloudy again, and she staggered slightly. Alex was there at her side in only a moment gripping onto her arm steadying her.

"Never mind. Lay back down." Micheal-ann glared at the small women before shaking her off taking a tentative step to the left around the coffee table. Without another words, feeling more secure, Micheal slowly walked to the door, and opened her assailant before turning back to her cousin motioning for her to walk out the door.

Holding her hand's up in surrender, Alex strode forward and left the room, with Micheal right behind her.

Even though her legs were still a bit shaky and her mind was a little fuzzy again, she forced herself to be cognizant as she followed her cousin as well as the sound of music. As they followed the music the lights got dimmer until Micheal was forced to hold onto Alex's arm as she lead them through the dark. At the last possible moment, the darkness gave way to a side shot of a very bright stage.

Micheal-ann was speechless as four men she didn't know attacked instruments with passion, and one she did, was holding a cigarette in a familiar stance, practically making love to the mike he sang into.

His voice was pure sex, as he practically purred out the Finnish words with such force the small ball of fire in her stomach began to burn again. Alex let out a whoop of excitement which seemed to get Ville's attention as he glanced over still singing.

When he saw them both, Ville instantly caught and held her gaze giving her a half grin and pulling up the cigarette wielding hand to give her a sarcastic little wave. Her face heating slowly, Micheal stuck her tongue out at him although it hurt her nose as it crinkle. Ville on the other hand literally bit his lip as desire weaseled its way into his eyes.

Alex, without even bothering to turn around, grumbled annoyed.

"Can you please not make sexual passes at each other while I'm between you, and trying to enjoy the music?" Ville must have seen Alex's sour look because he grinned full out and returned to the song he was supposed to be singing.

Micheal-ann listened and found her self slowly bobbing her head along to the unknown words. She liked the rhythm of the music, and honestly with Ville's voice over it, she could see why when she had looked him up online before they had come hundreds of girls were cooing over him.

The song quickly came to the end, and Ville glanced over once more before returning to the mike speaking in Finnish once again.

"_Omistan tämän viimeisen laulun varten ne kadonnut american. Joten hänen vuokseen, teen sen Englanti. Kiitos, että tulit ulos, tämä kappale on nimeltään Just For Tonight_."

With the words he spoke, Alex slowly turned around to pin her with a raised eyebrow, glancing from her to Ville who pulled away from the mike again as a cheer went through the crowd, and he motioned to his band mates.

The sound that followed his motions was slightly haunting as just the keyboardist and the guitarist started up and Ville looked at her one more time licking his lips suggestively a moment before he began to sing into the mike.

"_Too late, won't stop  
>Tonight I want to go deeper<br>Tomorrow takes it all away  
>Time's running out<br>The night is only a shell  
>Soon morning comes and breaks the spell<br>To the yesterday, to a dream"_

The way Ville sang literally took her breath away as the drums slowly joined in, as the cigarette in his hand burnt away flashing light at her like a hidden secret.

"_Just for tonight, we'll keep on dancing  
>And the city won't tell a soul<br>Just for tonight, the lights are shining  
>And our secret stays untold"<em>

Alex slowly moved from in front of Micheal-ann to her side and said flatly, pretty sure that Micheal would only half hear her anyhow.

"I'm going to catch a cab home." With that, Alexandra turned and moved through the club shaking her head at the sexual tension that made it hard to breath, and hailed a cab with ease.

Micheal wanted to tell Alex to stay, to make sure she got home at all, but that part of her was so small she couldn't even voice it as the next verse of the song literally had her holding onto a banister on the side of the stage.

"_These streets are mine  
>Tonight I'll keep on walking<br>Won't stop as long as the city sleeps  
>Don't look back once<br>Or you might turn around  
>Tonight I'll give myself to you<br>And our secret stays untold"_

As Ville sang the last two lines, he fully turned from the crowd to face her, his eyes pinning her with such an intense fire, she bit her lip, all pain leaving her body. She had to catch herself as she almost moved to walk out on the stage, his gaze calling to her body. The moment that Ville finally glanced away, she practically fell limp against the banister catching a breath she didn't know she hadn't been grasping.

Her mind clogged, she backed up slowly away from the stage and staggered back towards the room she had left, the chorus of the song and Ville's baritone chasing her with every step.

When she finally reached the room, she slammed the door shut and then rushed to the closest chair to place both hands on its arms breathing deeply closing her eyes trying to get herself under control desperately.

She had never felt this way in her life, had never done anything like this in her life. She had always been the prude, and the tease rather than the sexual deviant now. Micheal wasn't even sure if that was what she was, or if she was just a slut. She pushed that thought away, focusing on the feelings that were driving her actions.

Micheal had never felt so attracted before, it was if her body had a mind of its own, and what it wanted was Ville. It wasn't shy or coy about it's needs and she found she didn't mind them either.

Micheal rationalized the burning in her stomach and her quickened breath. She was an adult, as was Ville and it was completely a hundred percent okay to be attracted to the opposite sex. It was also a hundred percent to act on those urges until they were gone. She was also sure that after another few trysts, the want for Ville would subside and they'd both walk away placated.

That was fine by her, and why shouldn't it be? Neither of them was hurting anyone by screwing around, and it was human.

Besides, she was an exchange student, weren't they supposed to crazy experimental things while away from home?

Shaking her head yes for no one but herself, Micheal-ann's grip tightened on the chair as the cheers from the crowd grew to an insane level drowning out the music.

Moment's later the door behind her burst open, banging onto the wall on the other side, Micheal-ann opening her eyes whirling around just as forcefully.

Ville stood in a thick grey long sleeved shirt, his shoulder length hair curled, his eyes wild. Involuntarily Micheal glanced down at his leather pants and sure enough a raging boner greeted her.

Ville sucked air in between his teeth before growling, his accent more prominent.

"I'd stop that now, because although my fathers sex shop was erotic, I want you in my bed, not in some shabby club." Ville's words were strained as if they took effort to utter, and she noticed one of his hands was gripping onto the door frame as it was his lifeline.

Micheal-ann brought a hand up in reflex to touch her nose, before smiling impishly.

"Well considering you've just told the entire club through song your getting some tonight, I think it wouldn't be to much of a shocker."

Ville blinked, bit his lip and then took a step out of the door way flicking his head towards the end of the hall that was opposite the stage.

"If it's all the same sweet, I suggest you move it before I take up on your subliminal offer."

Micheal-ann took a moment longer to gather herself as the tension between them practically crackled. She felt as if she moved sluggishly as she moved to the door and as she went to pass Ville she couldn't help but let one of the hands that rested at her side graze across his hips, above his erection.

With a growl and a Finnish curse, Ville grabbed her wrist and yanked her back in front of him, and just as she was sure he was going to slam her against the wall, he nuzzled his face into her neck. His lips caressed the space between her jaw line and her neck, his breath tickling her. The fire that spread from his lips was hotter than she could imagine hell would be, as Ville's own hands went to grasp her hips.

That cleared her head quickly as she hissed in pain jerking slightly away from him. After the sex the night before, Micheal-ann was put off to find hand print bruises on her hips as well as deep gauges, that she had actually had to put Neosporin on.

Ville recoiled with a look of confusion in his eyes his lips slightly parted as he panted. Before he asked the obvious question, Micheal moved a bit farther away and raised her silk shirt to show the top half of the now purple bruises and two of the gauges.

Ville flinched and glanced around unsure of what to say clearly guilty. Micheal-ann reached forward and teased.

"If anything, I look a hell of a lot more bad-ass." Ville still looked guilty and she rolled her eyes and grabbed one of his hands yanking him behind her towards the end of the hallway.

When he still didn't say anything, Micheal pulled him closer to her body, putting his arm around her shoulders and her own around his hips, which immediately sent fire through out her body and she was sure did the same for him.

"Will you stop moping, It's a downer, and I for one like you much more erect." Ville laughed and began to lead the way again as he trailed his fingers on her chest tauntingly.

"I'm a lot more fun that way aren't I?"

Before she could answer a voice from behind them called in Finnish.

"Ville!_ Missä helvetti sinä olet menossa_?" Not even bothering to turn all the way around, Ville glanced back as did Micheal to see a somewhat heavy set man with brown hair and a small beard stomping towards them.

"_Im kirjaimellisesti menossa kuristaa sinut juuri nyt, jos lopetat minut alkaen ottamisen tämän naisia kotiini ja ruuvaamalla kuin kanit. Kirjaimellisesti, kuristaa sinut Mige_."

The man stopped dead in his tracks, raised his hands to the level of his eyes and turned to retrace his steps back from where he had come.

Ville began to walk them towards the club entrance again, as Micheal amused watched him with a smile on her face.

"What did you say to him?"

Glancing at her Ville charmingly blushed and turned sideways so they could walk out the front door with out disengaging from one another. He strolled them to the edge of the street where he let out a whistle from between his teeth and tongue, and within moment's a taxi pulled in front of them.

Micheal-ann reluctantly pulled away, as Ville opened the door for her. She climbed in slowly as a slight exhaustion hit her, smiling friendly at the cabby.

Ville slid in after her, pressing his body as close to her as he could before speaking to the cabby. The cab pulled away from the curb moments after as Ville turned to her and said matter of factly.

"In simple terms, I told him to fuck off, or die.."

Micheal-ann couldn't stop herself as she burst into gut busting laughter, followed soon by Ville.

_**Omistan tämän viimeisen laulun varten ne kadonnut american. Joten hänen vuokseen, teen sen Englanti. Kiitos, että tulit ulos, tämä kappale on nimeltään Just For Tonight**_ - I dedicate this last song for the lost American. So for her sake, I'll do it in English. Thanks for coming out, this song is called Just For Tonight.

_**Missä helvetti sinä olet menossa**_- Where the hell are you going

_**Im kirjaimellisesti menossa kuristaa sinut juuri nyt, jos lopetat minut alkaen ottamisen tämän naisia kotiini ja ruuvaamalla kuin kanit. Kirjaimellisesti, kuristaa sinut Mige**_–

Im literally going to strangle you right now, if you stop me from taking the woman to my house and screwing like rabbits. Literally, strangle you Mige.


	4. Change

The cab ride was absolutely silent, and although no one spoke, the windows of the cab quickly fogged up. The heat that radiated from between Ville and Micheal-ann was stifling and within only a few minutes even the cabby was affected as he slowly slid his window down.

Micheal forced her self to look out of the window although the fog barely let her make anything out, trying to ignore Ville with all her might. Her head had begun to throb again and with the pain came a new sense of cognizance.

She had no idea where Ville lived, and thoughts of after tonight haunted her. Most basic, how in hell was she supposed to get home, when she didn't know a number for a taxi service or how to speak Finnish to actually get her home. In all honesty she expected Ville to fall asleep after they were done like most men, and she had enough politeness in her, not to think of waking him up if he did.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ville's fingers began to trace outlines on her inner thigh and when she jerked her head about to look at him he was turned towards the window, his head resting on his other hand looking as innocent as a spring day.

Glancing at the cabby who was shrouded in darkness, as was the rest of cab, she felt a smile tug at the edges of her lips as she moved the hand that had rested on the seat next her and slid it against Ville's hip.

She could faintly make out his jaw clench as he very slowly turned from the window, to look her straight in the eye as her fingers tip toed across the leather of his pants, until they hovered for a moment above his crotch area.

Micheal-ann gave him the wicked smile he had repeatedly used on her, and slowly slid her fingers to the smooth area above the button of his leather pants, and began to trace her own outlines of nothing.

Ville's eyes bulged as his own hand stopped moving against her thighs, far more preoccupied with Micheal's hand.

Teasing the small happy trail with her fingers, Micheal randomly hooked her fingers deeper into the hem of his leather pants taking satisfaction from the way Ville's body would move up begging for her to dip her hand just.. that… much.. farther.

Biting her lip still holding Ville's unblinking gaze, Micheal-ann traced an S on his abdomen and then slid her fingers past the hem of his pants, her fingertips brushing his stiff erection.

"_Se torni lopussa ajotieltä?" _Micheal-ann let out a gasp of surprise jerking her hand up haphazardly, just as Ville leaned forward in equal surprise ending up in her fist clocking him square on the chin.

Ville let out a cry of pain, and the cabby slightly frightened slammed on his breaks, sending both Ville and Micheal-ann sprawling forward to collide with the seats. Pain shot through her own face, as the cabby began to curse loudly.

Micheal-ann couldn't hold it back as she began to howl loudly with belts of laughter as she remained ingrained into the cabby's seat gasping for air as her stomach bounced with her giggles.

The cabby began to yell furiously in Finnish, and still she couldn't stop laughing.

"_Oletko hullu? kaikki Kysyin oli jos torni se oli, ja te älähtää! vittu pelottaa minua puoli kuolemaan !"_ At the cabby's words Ville to began to laugh, as he still clutched at his chin, as he to began to gabber away in Finnish.

"_Olen niin pahoillani, nainen on hullu ja pelottaa minua. Kyllä se on se, kiitos, olen hyvin pahoillani taas!" _As Ville pulled his wallet from his butt pocket, he motioned to the still laughing Micheal-ann.

"You are a menace. Climb out before he shoots us both."

Micheal-ann peals of laughter had disintegrated to a mere continuous giggle as she yanked at the car door practically falling out of the car. Ville remained in the car for a bit longer as he handed the cabby a generous amount of euro's before climbing out as quick as he could.

The cab peeled away leaving a giggling Micheal-ann facing a grimacing Ville.

"Well, that was interesting."

"To say the least."

Ville shook his head and held an arm out, and without another moments hesitation Micheal moved forward sliding underneath the offered arm that tightened around her shoulders. Ville led her up a gravel driveway, and she was impressed to see a huge tower that stood proud, and she marked that it looked historic.

As Ville reached within his pocket to pull his key free, as at the same time he tried to push open his small garden gate with his thin hips.

The door held against his weight and the gravel gave way beneath, and he found himself tumbling over the small garden gate to face plant right into a garden gnome that his mother had placed there a few months ago. Thankfully he hadn't attempted to clutch onto Micheal-ann, or she would have most likely followed him.

As it was she once again began to laugh as he groaned letting his body unroll itself onto the hard gravel, his right eye throbbing violently and he could feel it begin to swell.

Leaning over the gate, Micheal-ann peered at the unmoving Ville as she roared with laughter her hands holding her sides as they began to ache.

"Had a nice trip there? See yah next fall!" Micheal began to laugh harder at the childish quip she used, as Ville moved his head to pin her with a glare.

Opening the gate, Micheal-ann wrapped her arms around Ville helping him stand as he gripped her waist with one of his own arms groaning as he stood.

"Seventeen, I am not. I can actually feel my bones creak." Shaking her head, Micheal let him lean against her as she moved them to the large medieval barred door. Reaching around the still dazed Fin, Micheal-ann pushed her hand inside the pocket he had been fumbling in before to pull out a single brass key.

Pushing the key into the lock, she gave it hard push and the door, complete with ominous squeal, swung open into a pitch dark landing.

"Well aren't we a mysterious being." The sarcasm could have been scraped off of her voice it was so thick as she warily took a step inside waiting for Ville to get his own bearing.

Ville groaned as his right eye's vision became blurry as the swelling puffed viciously and he was sure that he was going to have a pretty black eye. Moving to lean across Micheal-ann he lightly tapped at the electronic pad that quickly turned off the silent alarm. He then reached a bit farther turning a small light switch that illuminated the first landing of his tower.

The décor was surprisingly homey, the walls painted a deep burgundy, the furniture all oak, the floor solid wood flooring. Posters from various foreign films, as well as a few paintings abstract by definition were tastefully hung up along the walls leading to a spiral stair case that lead up to a second floor landing. She couldn't see past the opening for the second level but she was sure the rest of the house was just as clean and polished as this.

"Well, Im thoroughly surprised." Ville made a sound of mock surprise before grasping the key from her hand pulling both of their bodies over to where a small side table rested , a metal stylized mirror hanging above it.

He dropped the key into a small bowl as he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket as well as a large gold coin, placing them beside the bowl.

Micheal-ann waited patiently until she looked at the mirror and gasped.

She looked absolutely horrifying, the left side of her nose completely black and blue, her lip swollen, and her hair was disheveled to all hell. Honestly she couldn't understand why the hell Ville had brought her home, she looked like an escapee from a B- horror film.

She must have made a noise of discontent because Ville also looked at the mirror and finally began to laugh like she had outside.

Ville looked just as busted, his chin turning purple and yellow, his left eye swollen black and almost completely closed. It didn't help that he looked exhausted from the show, the sweat still present, the hair stuck to the side of his face from underneath his beanie.

He smiled, and he looked particularly ghastly and he honestly couldn't understand why the hell Micheal-ann had came home with him, he looked like an escapee from B- horror film.

"Well don't we make an attractive looking bunch." Micheal-ann rolled her eyes at his humor before gesturing at her face in the mirror.

"I look like a gremlin." Ville laughed and pulled away slightly and brought a hand up to tickle her ears.

"They don't seem to be growing any longer, and from what I see your still fluffy, not green."

"Shut up."

"But then again you have been taking a lot of pleasure out of all this destruction going on in the past hour." He tugged the ears he had been tickling and stuck his tounge out at her in the mirror as she cackled reaching up to chase his hands away from her head.

"Leave me alone you evil man."

"No can do, It's almost midnight, I don't want you changing and destroying my house."

"Oh, I'll change all right." Elbowing him in the side, Micheal scampered to the base of the winding staircase and grinned evilly at the shocked expression that Ville held.

Raising an eyebrow, Ville crossed his arms over his chest, and nearly smiled like a fool when she feigned an innocent look and slowly slid the dark red cardigan off her shoulders letting it pull at her feet.

Micheal-ann raced up the stairs and once she got passed the landing, took a glance at the small dining room, and open kitchen, took off her shirt leaving it at the top of the first flight of stairs.

Glancing about she saw another spiral staircase, and she assumed that lead to his bedroom, racing to it before he came back she haphazardly hopped up the steps yanking off her petite high heels leaving them on the staircase.

She giggled to herself as she got to the third landing, which was a small hallway with three doors. One door on the left was open, as was the door that was at the very end of the hallway. The room at the end was a bathroom as she made out a small sink and toilet, and when she glanced at the other open door, she saw black sheets and the edge of a huge painting.

She heard movement from the floor below and squeaked and practically tore the skinny jeans from her body flinging them to the floor, racing to the bedroom with the open door, and closed it all on one breath.

In a frenzy Micheal-ann ruffled her hair, smoothing her curls to one side, as she slid to the bed.

Biting her lip, feeling bad for a moment as she messed up the perfectly made bed, Micheal-ann tucked her feet underneath her butt and leaned back against the hundreds of dark red and black pillows and attempted to make her face calm and alluring, all while trying to catch her breath.

It felt like a thousand years before the door knob began to slowly turn, and she felt her heart beat through her chest.

The door inched forward, taking its sweet time, before it opened to show Ville with just his leather pants still on, although they were unbuttoned.

Micheal bit her lip as she drank Ville in. He wasn't ripped by any means, he had no muscle at all it seemed, but what he lacked in muscle mass, he gained back in pure lithe and raw sex appeal.

He was thin, and was covered in tattoos, his left arm completely done in a flame design. His right breast had a portrait of an old style woman, while his left nipple was surrounded by the heart and triangle symbol. The right of his stomach covered in a man sucking his thumb resting on a breast. The top of another tattoo peaked from above his undone leather pants, of the same heart and triangle design from the tickets with a vine design sprouting up. His right arm had three faces, of men she didn't know and a small heart on his wrist with letter around and inside.

All in all, Ville Valo stood looking every bit the rock star she knew he was, and it instantly made all of the craziness in the past two days worth it.

Ville drank Micheal-ann in and felt himself grow hard as rock. She wore a matching set of lacy underwear, black, that made her skin look darker, almost brown.

Her body was sin, with curves of an hour glass, and a small rounded stomach that made him even hotter. She was a woman, not a stick model, he didn't need to worry about breaking her. Her thighs were small and her breasts were the perfect handful size, perky and round. He felt a pang of guilt as he saw now the extent of the damage he had done to her waist. Areas of about six to seven inches on each side of her hips were black and blue fingerprints, and he nearly hissed to see the five deep cuts on each side as well.

Ville leaned against the doorframe and as he drank her in, he lost all urge to have sex with her. Not that he wasn't sexually attracted to her, he couldn't imagine not being, but he felt unworthy of touching her again.

At least for this night in particular.

Moving forward, Ville crowded into Micheal-ann's space and slid his body next to her own as he pulled his large cotton comforter up and motioned for her to climb under.

A confused look graced her features as she slowly did as he instructed, and was even more confused when he slid his body next to hers and wrapped his arms around her pulling her to his chest.

With a sigh he closed his eyes and placed his chin on her head and let his body relax into the sheets. Micheal-ann lay still for a few moments as confusion ran stiff through her exhausted body.

"Uh Ville?"

"Did you know you're the first non-Finnish human being that has been able to pronounce my name correctly?"

"Thank you?"

Vile chuckled and the sound so close to Micheal-ann's ear caused goose bumps to erupt shaking slightly as chills followed quickly after.

"What are we doing?"

"Personally, my eye and head are throbbing and a good nights sleep sounded quite appealing.."

"I'm in my underwear, in your bed, ready to fool around, and you'd like to sleep?"

"Ah but I'd like to sleep with you. There's the catch." Ville snuggled into his sheets again and nearly smirked when he felt Micheal-ann relax against him as one of her hands moved to rest on his stomach, the other tucked underneath her head.

A few minutes of silence passed before Micheal yawned and mumbled as she was quickly falling into sleep.

"I'd take you for more of a disarray, crap stacked and thrown everywhere kind of guy."

"You should of seen my apartment before this. Total pig-sty."

Micheal-ann barely heard his words as she nudged one of her legs over Ville's and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

"Why?"

Ville was surprised at the question as he raised his free arm to flick the switch from the bedroom light he had left on earlier that day, and then tucked the arm behind his head.

"Because I wanted to destroy myself."

A soft snore answered him, and Ville chuckled in the dark..

_**se torni lopussa ajotieltä?**__ –_ The tower at the end of the driveway?

_**Oletko hullu? kaikki Kysyin oli jos torni se oli, ja te älähtää! vittu pelottaa minua puoli kuolemaan !**_- Are you crazy? All I asked was if it was the tower, and you yelp! Fucking scares me half to death!

_**Olen niin pahoillani, nainen on hullu ja pelottaa minua. Kyllä se on se, kiitos, olen hyvin pahoillani taas!**_ - I'm so sorry, the woman is crazy and scares me. Yes it is, thanks, I'm very sorry again!


	5. Persistance

The pain that ebbed at Micheal-ann's hips, nose and lip were practically non-existent as a pair of lips nibbled at the base of her throat. The lips were joined by a sensual hand that massaged her waist, as a pleasant weight rested on the right side of her body warming her.

She didn't bother to open her eyes, as she submitted to the treatment lost in the sensation as well as her own drowsiness that left her in a dream like state.

The nibbling intensified until she could feel teeth slightly biting into her flesh and scraping against her collarbone, stretching a soft moan from her lips slowly. Opening her eyes hazily, she made out a man's form resting against her check, brown hair strewn across her nearly bare chest.

The lips and teeth stopped for a moment and an equally drowsy voice greeted her with a baritone so deep and sensual, she felt her self lulling back into her dream state.

"Good morning sweet."

Micheal-ann couldn't find the words to answer and simply gave up trying as she basked in the muddled accented words.

A soft kiss whispered against the same spot that had just been abused, as the weight that rested against her began to move and she found her self gripping onto the form giving out a whine of annoyance.

A deep rolling laugh filled her senses, drowning her, as blissfully the weight returned warming her body. She blinked very slowly as she glanced down, her lips turning up into a lopsided goofy smile.

"Haloo Ville Valo." Ville couldn't control the shiver that ran throughout his body, at his name on her lips, sending goose bumps to the very tips of his toes, as he hesitated to replace his lips on Micheal-ann's throat watching her as she slowly came to.

The cotton comforter was pooled at her hips, leaving the rest of her body open to the frigid Finnish air, and yet she was practically sweating from the heat that radiated from their combined bodies. Making a noise of content, Micheal-ann pointed her toes and slowly stretched out her body.

Ville's arm remained across her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder, silently watching her as she reached her free arm above her head biting her lip as she yawned for good measure, her muscles turning to mush. She felt the rip in her lip pull and instantly ceased the yawn, clacking her mouth shut with such force her teeth went numb for a seconds.

The way she innocently sighed and nestled herself closer to his body made Ville genuinely smile as he tightened his grip on her waist, her skin soft against his course fingers.

After a few more moments of awakening her body, Micheal-ann finally looked at Ville and found him watching her with a smile and an expression in his eye she couldn't quite make out. Pushing away the itch to know what it was, she smiled sweetly back at him.

"So, what's the plan rock star?" Ville didn't speak for a good minute after her question simply drinking her in as his thoughts rushed through his head at rates that sent him reeling.

He had joked many times before when he'd been asked by interviewers and such that he did not date. That Finnish men in fact did not date, and with that had no interest in females, other than the fall in love. He had denounced one night stands, having never truly had one that was worth the empty bed in the morning, and he had taken to thinking of love simply as a fairytale. Something that one heard about from a friend, of a friend who had a happily ever after that one time ten years ago. He'd watched as his friends fell for women who wanted to control them, and in turn ran amuck with emotions and set up fights to feel any emotions they could get their hands on. They ruined themselves as well as their relationships over petty squabbles that didn't mean anything.

He'd thought himself in love once in his life, and with it, it had destroyed him. Had taken ever thing he was, did, lived and turned it into something connected to her. He couldn't take a shower with out being reminded of her and the pain that followed it. He had gone against his own personal beliefs as well as morals and values for her, and had convinced himself it was because she loved him as much as he did. He had been wrong, and it had taken till he checked himself into a rehab center, and gotten clean till he could let go of her. Let go of his hate, his pain, and had surprisingly forgiven her, completely purging himself of her influence.

Yet at this moment in time, with this woman, he didn't let any of the past, any thoughts of anger or hate diffuse his raging thoughts, instead all he could focus on were the ones that surrounded his instincts.

"Marry me."

The minutes dripped by like molasses as Micheal-ann lay completely still, a blank expression on her face, unsure of what Ville had said although he had said it as plain as day. Choosing her words carefully, She once again stretched her arms, giving off the expression of a nonchalant woman who hadn't been asked by a complete stranger to marry him.

"When I can speak Finnish."

"I'll teach you right now. Once you can say 'I do', lets go to the town hall and marry me."

"Your insane."

"Maybe. Marry me."

Micheal-ann fell quiet, and then slowly lifted her body up forcing Ville to sit up as well. Leaning on his arm Ville watched as Micheal-ann swung her body around, putting her back to him as she sat quietly.

A few more minutes passed before she stood up, turning and pinned him with the angriest glare he'd ever received, and he swore he could smell his hair burning.

"What is your problem? Seriously, your going to ask me to marry you? I don't know you! You don't know me, I don't even know how old your are! F-"

"I'm thirty two."

"Wow. That settles it then, we should _totally_ get married!" The sarcasm could have chocked out an elephant as she flailed her arms about, her curls flying as she jerked her head for affect.

Ville slid off the bed and stood at the edge of his bed, facing her crossing his arms over his chest and didn't say a word knowing full well the tirade that was going to follow for a few minutes.

"You realize I'm only twenty two. I am ten years younger than you, and we were just supposed to screw a few times and then part ways." With that Micheal-ann clamped down on her mouth and leaned her knees against the black sheets and blew a tendril out of her face.

Ville was surprised to realize that, that was the end of the tirade and although he knew he shouldn't he couldn't help but ask amazed.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"I'm kind of surprised."

"I don't know you, how could I fight with you?"

"That's a good reason to get married."

Micheal-ann glowered at him and then moved heading towards the door shaking her head. Before she could even reach the handle, Ville was in her way holding out his arms creating a boundary between her and the door.

"It was nice meeting you Ville, Nice sex-shop-capades and all that but I really must be going."

"Oh stop throwing dramatics about. You can feel it to, and honestly where's the harm in just doing the deed?"

"Because it's a very large life decision you do with someone you love."

"And I know I will love you."

"And how is it you can know?"

"Cause I do." Micheal-ann rolled her eyes and attempted again to push past him, but unbeknownst to her, her attempt was less animated than before as Ville stopped her with only a single hand.

"That's very convincing I must say, you could win debate tourneys with that."

Ville pulled Micheal-ann close to her body even though she squeaked in annoyance and slowly lowered his face to her own, his lips barely grazing her own as he whispered.

"I don't need to win tourneys, just you."

Micheal-ann couldn't help but feel a little bit of softness reach into her heart, but she also couldn't help the snort that left her nose as her eyes rolled once again.

"What's your parents names? Where did you grow up? Any favorite pets, siblings?"

"My fathers name is Kari, My mothers name is Anita. I grew up here in good ol' Helsinki, I had a fish named Samuel when I was six and I have one brother, Jesse, whom is a Thai boxer." Micheal-ann sighed and backed away from Ville and kept moving back until the back of her knees tapped the large bed and she sat down like a sack of potatoes.

She rubbed at her temple, never letting her gaze on Ville waver trying to decipher what his game was. She had NEVER even given thought to being married, in all of her thoughts she'd assumed that she would never get married. She hated being at anyone's beck and call. Micheal-ann had always been a solo act, hell she had gone to her senior prom alone, not that she hadn't been asked several times.

She liked being alone.

Micheal-ann shook her head like a dog astounded to realize that she was actually considering his offer. She would hand it to the man, she could feel the connection he spoke of. It was the same thing that had made it so easy to feel un-bashful after there sex shop sex, as well as just falling asleep with him without even a thought that she didn't know who he was. She felt safe either way with him, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

What she did know, was she wasn't going to get married today.

"I'm not going to marry you today." The words came out slowly and enunciated with such precision she almost sounded like a strict grade school teacher.

Ville smiled, clapping his hands holding his arms in a 'ta-da' manner and moving towards her.

"Ah, we've come to an agreement than. Tomorrow." Micheal-ann couldn't help but laugh at his persistence and shook her head crossing her own arms over her chest, the cool air now setting into her unclothed skin, her bra and underwear no protection at all.

"You don't get it. I'm only here for a semester and then I'm going back home to New York. I'm in a student exchange program for the bioengineering program and once I am done with assisting one of the professors at the Helsinki college, I'm leaving." Ville felt his smile slack a little as he felt foolish. He hadn't even put a thought as to why the heck Micheal was in Helsinki. He had just assumed she was going to live here, and he felt foolish because of it.

"Well, You can just transfer here all together."

Micheal gaped at Ville and the ludicrous idea shaking her head instantly.

"I go to Vassar. Do you know how hard I had to work to get in there? Especially considering I had to pay my own way, I had to work for my grants!"

"And you're here anyway am I right for research? So why not finish out your schooling here, get a research grant here, and marry me here?" Micheal-ann shook her head even more.

"If you truly felt that you could love me, and you want me so badly, you would never ask me to give up on my schooling, my dream to be here with you."

Those words stung Ville like a knife as he flinched at the truth behind them. She was right, he was being an asshole by trying to ask her to drop everything to stay here for him. Raking a hand through his knotted hair, Ville hissed as it pulled against his fingers and sighed.

"Your right, I'm sorry."

Micheal-ann felt a wave of guilt rush through her, even though she knew what she said wasn't wrong or unreasonable in anyway. She glanced about at the clean room, and bit the side of her lip that wasn't split before finally standing up and flashing a large smile at Ville.

She motioned towards the door behind him and patted her stomach.

"How about you feed me, and we'll go from there Villiee?" Ville laughed and struck a pose and bowed at the waist offering an arm like he had the night before.

'M'lady."

"Oh why thank you kind sir." Moving forward Micheal-ann gripped his arm and giggled as Ville did a little jig before opening the door letting her walk through first.

As they moved into the hallway, Micheal-ann snuck a glance at the man leading her through the small hallway that lead to the stairs to the rest of the tower.

With one eye shut, black and bruised, and a yellow chin, she had never seen anyone more handsome in her entire life and thoughts of his proposal followed right behind her.

They didn't speak as Ville lead them down the stairs to the second landing. Micheal took a moment to drink in the area that she had rushed past last night.

The floors were wood, and the dark color set the tone for the rest of the room. The walls although a light brown seemed darker as what seemed millions of art that depicted everything from Cronus eating his children to a small close up photo of a mastiff puppy. All were perfectly aligned and placed to cover any open space that once had been there.

Ville gently guided her to where an open bar area was pulling out a stool, which she gladly slid onto watching as he grinned. Rushing to the opposite side of the bar, Ville splayed his hands out towards his empty kitchen counter and boomed.

"Our choices today are, air, nothing, and molecules of oxygen." Micheal blinked a few times before she began to laugh as she ran a hand through her own hair, then leaned her face on her palm giving Ville the most charming and innocent smile he'd ever seen.

"If you didn't have food, why in hell did we come downstairs?" Ville, smitten, did another little jog around the edge of the bar, grabbing a hold of Micheal kissing her smack dab on the lips, and gathering her in his arms back towards the stairs.

Micheal wrapped her arms around Ville's neck as he pulled away from the kiss with an impish grin.

"I really have no idea, my minds been a bit preoccupied." 


	6. Dark Cherries & Plum Wine

Micheal-ann laughed as the thin man finally released her at the top of the stairs, and proceeded to scamper towards the room they had literally _just_ left. She could Ville right behind her, chasing after her in an attempt to pull her into his arms again. Turning slightly Micheal let out a cry of mock surprise to sure enough find him right behind her his arms poised to wrap around her stomach.

"False Delavega!" With a duck, that sent a sharp pain through her bruised hips, Micheal missed Ville's arms and bounded for the bed, hopping once on the soft mattress, sending her to the other side as she scrambled to her feet to face Ville.

Ville stood, his hands on his hips, a confused grin on his face, an eyebrow cocked.

"What is with these movie references?" Micheal merely shrugged her shoulders and placed her hands on the bed leaning over, causing Ville's eyes to slightly bulge as her breast were hardly contained by her bra.

Coughing slightly, Ville moved closer to the bed and with a smirk glanced down at his now stretched leather pants, were his erection was attempting to force its way out before countering her movie quote with one of his own.

"Do you know how to use that thing?"

"Of course! The pointy end goes into the other man." Micheal desperately wanted to laugh, but was far to aroused and impressed to do much else than watch as Ville's knees touched the other side of the bed.

Never before had someone ever played along with her random usages of movie quotes, let alone knew what movie she had been talking about off hand without having to ask her what the hell she was talking about first. The simple fact that he had countered her, lit her arousal like a forest fire.

Ville placed his hands on the bed mussed sheets to lean the exact way that Micheal-ann was, and stopped. He watched her, their eyes linked and unblinking, as the moments, then minutes passed with such ease neither truly noticed.

Suddenly as if stung by something, Ville cursed and lurched forward, one of his hands wrapping around Micheal-ann's face drawing her forward as he meshed his lips onto her own with every ounce of passion within him.

Micheal-ann gripped the bed sheets as she lost all of her breath, her entire face going numb as Ville nipped her bottom lip and she eagerly opened her mouth inviting his tongue in.

Moving her body closer to his, she pulled her legs up till she now rested on her hands and knees. She ached to feel his body against hers again, but something kept her from moving any further. The simple fact that his lips and hand on her jaw and neck were the only things touching her and yet her body was practically shaking with arousal was past erotic.

Ville's fingertips felt like fire as he grazed them along her thin neck, as he searched every crevice of her mouth, trying to memorize every part. Surprisingly, she had no morning breath and for a moment he cringed, hoping that he hadn't either, or if so, it was easily overlooked. In fact she tasted wonderfully, almost reminding him of dark cherries and plum wine.

Unable to stand it any longer Micheal-ann pulled her lips away, but not away enough that his hand left her neck and bit her lip looking into his eyes again.

Ville hardened even farther, if that was even possible, when Micheal bit her lip, her green eyes round and filled with lust. Lust for him.

Micheal-ann crawled closer, pressing her forehead to Ville's as she reached between his arms to take hold of the still open hem of his leather pants. Tugging at them, Micheal-ann pulled his hips towards her, and as she did Ville got the idea and moved his body further onto the bed.

As she pulled his hips towards her, Ville eventually had to sit up straight pulling his forehead from her own until he stood up straight his legs behind him, his knees holding him up.

Once he was on his knees, Micheal-ann still on all fours glanced up at him giving him a wicked half smile before pushing him to the side. Ville fell onto his back, his mouth slightly agape as he watched Micheal.

Slowly crawling over Ville, Micheal let her mussed curls fall to one side of her face before catching Ville's thin lips with her own again.

Ville instinctively raised his arms to wrap around her shoulders, but one of Micheal's own arms came up to slowly push them back down as she nibbled on his bottom lip sending jolts of pleasure through him.

Micheal-ann slowly moved away from Ville's lips and with excruciating slowness slowly returned her lips to graze his jaw line. His skin was hot as Micheal continued to moved slowly down to just below his ear where she let her teeth scrap his skin, delighting as goose bumps washed over his body.

Moving a hand up, Micheal ran it down his chest and stomach as a soft moan escaped Ville's lips involuntarily.

Smiling, she continued to kiss and nibble down Ville's neck, and onto his chest. Glancing up at Ville, she found his eyes closed, his mouth slightly open, his features drawn and pinched waiting, _wanting._

Grinning she moved a little farther down, she opened her mouth and ran her tongue around the nipple that held the heart triangle symbol around it, and received another soft moan.

Moving to the other nipple she did the same, drawing a few more moans from Ville as her hand that had wandered down his body now rested on the nape of his neck.

She kissed below his chest and continued to tongue her way past the Klaus Kinski tattoo reaching the leather pants. She snuck a glance up at Ville, who was now wide-eyed and watching her with heated eyes. Teasing him, she wiggled her eyebrows and licked her lips bringing her hands below her chin to run them along his hips.

To give Ville credit, although he was practically aching from want, he didn't move. He merely watched Micheal-ann pleading with her in his head to stop torturing him.

Smoothing her palms against the cool leather, Micheal's fingers clutched onto the leather and began to tug down with short, quick yanks.

Ville not even attempting to appear calm, cool and collected, shamelessly lifted his hips to aid Micheal-ann in getting him in his birthday suit. Micheal giggled as she managed to get the pants past his hips and couldn't even help it as her eyes became glued to his penis.

If she'd been a sculptor, she'd have found her muse, and as disgusting and awkward it may have sounded, his penis was _b-e-a-utiful_, and extremely **large.**

_How the hell did he fit last time? _Micheal thought as she gave a final yank, throwing the black leather behind her, before bringing her hands back up hovering them above his erection.

Ville literally growled in protest as he bore a hole into her brain, watching her with a fever and resolve of a crazed man.

Smiling to no one but herself, Micheal slowly wrapped one hand at the base of his dick, and brought her mouth to the very tip. Opening her mouth, she stuck her tongue out and leaned forward running it around the very tip, collecting the moisture that was already present.

A strangled grunt came from above her but Micheal-ann didn't even bother look, as she trailed her tongue down farther, all the way to the base where her hand was, and back to his tip again.

Ville felt like putty as he freely moaned underneath her hands and mouth, his body reacting without a moments hesitation. He'd been with a lot of woman through out his years, had been serviced several times before, but this was different. Although her touch wasn't the best he'd had, and no where near the worst, there was just something on top of it. It was the feeling that he could never get tired of it, of her. The thought that he wanted her right here in the bed for every single night after, and he honestly wouldn't get sick of seeing her face.

Micheal-ann wrapped her lips around the head of his penis, and sucked softly and first and gradually a bit harder as she scraped her teeth against his shaft as she slowly began to lower her mouth. A hand slowly stroked the rest of his shaft quickly as she ran her tongue across the length that her mouth was dominating.

She pulled her tongue away, as well as her hand, as she held her breath and lowered her mouth to wrap around the entire length of his penis, focusing on pushing away her gag reflex as she slightly hummed.

Literally crying out, Ville couldn't stand the vibrations that went through his dick as Micheal humming nearly forced him to cum, as he lurched forward gripping onto Micheal's shoulders.

Pulling away from his penis, she glanced up to Ville finally when he grabbed her shoulders, and his eyes were completely dilated, the passion within the black of them almost scary.

Pulling with all the strength he had, Ville moved Micheal up his body reclaiming her lips, literally biting her bottom lip, re-opening the cut that had slightly healed, as he tasted blood. Sadistically it drove him wild as he ran his tongue along her cut, making Micheal-ann hiss. He reached his hands down and tore her lingerie with one yank on either side, throwing the pieces to the side, all without removing his lips from hers as he continued to bite, and lick at her lips.

The pain that came from her busted lip, was as erotic as any touch he'd given her before, and in the back of Micheal-ann's mind it amused her. Both of them looked as if they'd been beaten, and with it, it ignited both of their passions.

Micheal couldn't handle it any longer, both of her legs on either side of his body, and lifted herself reaching down with one hand to position Ville's throbbing erection at the very entrance of her pussy.

Without another moments hesitation, Micheal lowered herself onto Ville, letting out a string of moans that intermingled with Ville's as he pulled away to shove his face into the crook of her neck.

Ville didn't bother with the niceties of sex, as he shoved his hips up, burying himself completely within Micheal-ann who let out a low shriek of surprise and ecstasy. Nothing, no one had felt this good, and with the fire running through his viens Ville forget himself.

He gripped onto the very hips he had bruised from their first escapade, squeezing as he thrust up with no thought other than how innocent, how wonderful, how _clean_ he felt inside Micheal-ann.

Excruciating pain ran throughout her body, as Ville's hands dug into the very lacerations he had caused, sending Micheal-ann onto Ville's body gasping out as the pain and pleasure rode hard, intermingling making her head dizzy.

His breath was hot against the nape of her neck, as Micheal-ann dug her feet underneath Ville's thighs allowing him to go deeper within her. Her stomach began to twist into a knot that began to build so quickly she could barely breathe.

She buried her face into Ville's wild hair as she gasped for breath her own fingers digging into Ville's shoulders, creating the same injuries he was doing to her.

Ville could feel Micheal begin to tighten around him, just as a burn began in his sac, and shoved himself upward harder than before, his fingers holding onto her hips for dear life.

The cry that Micheal-ann let out rebounded through out the room as the knot in her stomach clenched stealing her breath away before releasing sending her into oblivion.

Grunting Ville forced her hips down once more before his entire vision went black, her orgasm triggering his own, as his teeth bit down on her collar bone.

Ville saw stars. Stars, time, cartoons, history, music, life and death. He saw chaos, angels, nothing, past, present, future. He saw perfection.

Micheal-ann fought to breathe, as her face remained buried within Ville's hair, her body shaking from exertion, the heat, and her orgasm. She was shattered, from the inside out, and couldn't get her mind to focus on any one thing as her arms now gripped Ville's shoulders. His breath was heavy against her chest as his own arms now held her body against his chest, her feet calves underneath his thighs.

It was nearly fifteen minutes before either of them regained any sense what's so ever, and even then neither of them bothered to move.

Ville slowly nuzzled his nose into the flesh above her breasts, calm and sated, as he felt a heaviness nestle into his chest, making him full and content. He slipped out of her, and for a moment his heart ached at the loss of connection between then, before he tightened his arms around her. The heat between them was almost to much to handle, the sweat making both of their bodies slick.

"Ville?" Micheal-ann's voice was soft and shaky and oddly enough it made Ville want to fall asleep.

"_kyllä__ makea_?"

"We didn't use protection." Micheal-ann knew she should take the sentence she mummbled into his hair more seriously but she honestly couldnt. Yet, she thought, they hadn't done so the time before in _Aikuisten lelukauppa_ and she hadn't even given it a second thought then either.

"We'll worry about it tomorrow." His words were muffled against her skin, as he slowly shifted his body to sink deeper into his sheet resting his head peacefully against her chest.

Micheal-ann felt bile rise into her throat as panic settled into her chest forcing her heart to race. She took several deep breaths into Ville's hair, the scent of Lily of the Valley rising from his hair doing wonders to her shaken nerves.

They'd worry about it tomorrow.

She repeated the sentiment in her brain as she forced her heart to slow, as well as her body to relax against his own. Even as she relaxed she felt the need to get clean, to soak into hot water and be quiet and silent for a bit if only for a few moments.

Micheal-ann attempted to pull her body away from Ville and his grip tightened almost to the point of pain.

"What is it you do?" Ville's voice was husky with a calm she wished she had.

"I wanted to shower."

"A shower sounds delightful."

"If you plan on taking one with me, your are going to be disappointed dear fellow."

The clipped tone that Micheal-ann delivered Ville put him on alert instantly as he un tightened his arms pulling away from her, to look her in the face.

A small trail of blood fell from the re opened cut on her lip, and a fresh bite mark had already begun to bruise on her neck, but the thing that bothered him the most was the agitated look in her eyes.

"Have I done something to offend you?" He searched her expression for any hints as he asked the question unsure of where to go from here. Honestly he hadn't been this happy in years, and he was slightly upset that she wasn't feeling the same way as he.

Micheal-ann felt bad for Ville as she remembered that he didn't know her well enough. She wasn't truly mad or anything, but she was a creature of thought. She needed a moment to herself, to take into account all that had happened and asses it. Honestly she just need silence. No speaking, no words. She searched in her brain to find a way to explain in a way that he'd understand easier, as a phrase from the man tattooed on his belly instantly came to mind.

"But words - words are not enough!" Ville felt a smile cross his face, at the quote from his favorite actor, and immediately understood that she wasn't truly mad. He relaxed back again as she glanced to the still open door of his bedroom.

"I'd like a shower, if you want to join, that'd be fine… just, no talking ohkay?"

Ville simply nodded as Micheal flashed him a dazzling smile and slowly climbed off him flinching as she turned away from him climbing from the bed.

He took in her body again, as he lay still for a few more moments, his eyes drinking in her bleeding and bruised hips, her purple nose, her bleeding lip and the vicious bite mark that marred her collar bone. He sat up slowly leaning on his hand his eyes flicking from each mark.

Micheal-ann stood still for a moment as different spikes of pain ran through out her body, until she could get them under control and then turned to face Ville.

His eyes were bright as they met hers.

"Marry me."

Micheal-ann left the room promptly.

_kyllä__ makea?_ – yes sweet?


	7. Silence

Dutifully following like a love struck puppy, Ville didn't bother pretending modesty as he practically pried himself from the yearning comfort of his bed and high tailed it after Micheal-ann.

Stepping into the hallway, he felt a draft waft past him as goose bumps riddled his naked body and he had to force himself to quit the over dramatics that threatened, his teeth almost chattering for a moment.

Before he saw it, he could hear the tell tale splash of water falling to the bottom of a bathtub.

Glancing towards the bathroom at the end of the hall, he was greeted with a lovely vision of Micheal-ann sitting on the edge of his large black porcelain clawed tub. She sat on the edge, her hands holding on either side of the tub on the side of her body, her legs swept to the side, her toes barely grazing the floor. Her curls disheveled, sticking every which direction possible, tumbled past her shoulders reaching to cover her chest nearly reaching mid stomach. She was running her tongue across her bottom lip as she stared into oblivion, her eyes wide and thoughtful.

Ville stood for a few more moment's in the hallway merely watching her. He had no idea why in hell Micheal had wanted silence, but she could have asked him to dance naked in front of the Finnish monarchy at this moment and he'd do it, if only to see her smile.

He raised an arm to rub at his neck and hissed as a searing pain lacerated his shoulder, instantly shoving his arm down glancing at the offending spot. Four sets of nails stood puffed and bleeding on each of his shoulders, one thumb nail dug into each side of his collar bone both particularly cruel looking.

He hadn't even noticed an ounce when Micheal-ann had given these, and he was couldn't help but scoff shaking his head slowly.

He couldn't remember a time when he had received so many injuries in such a short time. His eye, chin, and now his shoulders were all throbbing dully, his body used to the pain easily after many a drunken binge night he had forced his body to recuperate from. That thought drew his eyes back to where Micheal-ann still sat lost in her mind.

Guilt washed over him, as he felt like an ass for being annoyed at his bruises and marks. Micheal-ann was ravished, her hips that once had the five inch radius of bruises now ranged closer to eight the cuts reopened as sluggish blood had found its way towards the side of her thighs. The bit mark on her collar bone was already showing sign of bruising as it yellowed underneath the bright red inflammation. Her chin was covered in a bit of dried blood as her lip lay open, and her nose was puffed and purple. Ville wouldn't be surprised if she ran from his home now and filed a police report on him. By the wounds, she would have enough and over to persecute him.

Ville sighed and moved through the hallway, into the huge bathroom closing the door behind him to keep the draft out, all while watching Micheal-ann.

Micheal let her eyes focus on the dark crimson wall paper, as she sat on the surprisingly not so uncomfortable edge of the huge clawed tub as she let the water run.

A good ten feet off from the door to the right three large sheets of glass and a bit of raised black marble quarantined off an over head shower, a black toilet to the right five from the shower, and a huge black marble counter took up the entire open wall next to the tub where she sat. The bathroom held a different assortment of candle on small shelves as well as a few small picture frames that held miscellaneous movie titles and pictures hung on the walls here and there. The towels that hung on a rack on the glass door to the shower were the same color as the walls, as were the range of towels folded neatly on a small bench next to the tub. Large black rugs seemed thrown haphazardly across the floor.

The contrast from all the dark colors, to the soft tan of Micheal-ann's skin was drastic and instantly drew the eyes to her no matter how much Ville wanted to glance at anything else in the room.

She hadn't given any indication of noticing he had entered the room as she continued to run her tongue along her lip, her eyes unblinking.

Micheal-ann hadn't really thought of anything in the brief time she had left Ville to his marriage jabber and had turned on the hot water in the dark bathroom. Her mind was jumbled, as if often was after her most eventful days, and all she wanted was the thoughts that rushed in and out in such a succession that it literally left her dizzy, to just stop.

The main thought that came to mind, were the enzymes that she'd be working on in six days, enzymes that would replace muscle mass in children that were suffering from muscular dystrophy. The reason why she'd come to Helsinki in the first place.

That thought seemed so distant now, as a cold hand slid onto the small of her back as she glanced up at Ville who flashed her a charming smile and motioned with his eye towards the tub underneath her. She glanced down to see that the water was at the perfect level for both of them fit comfortably and not spill over when they moved.

Smiling at Ville, Micheal-ann reached over turning the spiggets off, standing from her perch on the tub's ledge. Returning to look at Ville she visibly cringed when she took into account the puffed claw marks on his shoulders. She hadn't meant to do that, and was surprised considering on any of her other sexual encounters she had never full on hurt someone to the point of bruising or drawing blood.

Ville's hand cupped her chin, lifting her face to look into his own, and he smiled so dashingly he could have had a hole where the black eye was and still managed to look handsome. He gave her a small peck on the lips before completely drawing away from her, turning his attention to the tub.

Micheal would have laughed as Ville attempted to climb into the tub, but she had a feeling it would injure his pride and she enjoyed the primo scenery she got to take in as he wrestled his naked body into the water.

All limbs, Ville felt his cheeks flush red as he gangly climbed into the tubs, all grace he might have had on land, lost as he flopped into the water like a big Finnish fish.

Settled into the water, at the very back of the tub, Ville held his hand out to Micheal-ann who smiled and with grace he wish he could have, placed her bottom on the edge of the tub, swung her legs over and slipped between his own legs in two sly motions.

Her back leaned against his chest, as steam from the hot water raced towards the chilly air. Micheal took the opportunity to relax and melted into the man, closing her eyes, her arms resting on top of his knees in the water.

Ville rested his own head against Micheal-ann's curls, as her body went completely limp. The water relaxed his muscles, practically forcing his own eyes closed, as he slowly began to hum one of his songs without even realizing it.

Ville's baritone hum was rich and reverberated with such resonance, she could practically see the music beneath her eyelids as it cleared her thoughts quicker than any silence ever had. Micheal-ann turned her face to nuzzle the tip of her nose into Ville's neck, feeling the vibrations as he continued to hum softly.

She couldn't find one thought of enzymes, bruises, life, nothing. Nothing other than Ville, and that… well that was fine by her.

Sliding her body forward, Micheal dipped her head into the water, leaving her curls there to soak for a few moments before slowly pulling her head from the water.

Her waterlogged curls smacked against her shoulders, and as she went to run her hands down the top of it, she was momentarily surprised when Ville's two large hands gathered the long tendrils in his hands, smoothing shampoo on his palm through it.

His fingers massaged her scalp, the shampoo slowly bubbling underneath his hands, and he wiped the bubbles with his hands to massage them deeper into her scalp and thick hair.

The sensation of his hands washing her hair for her was far more than she'd ever expected him to do, and honestly she'd never known how wonderful someone else washing your hair could feel.

Her eyes returned to being closed, and she noticed with a quick flittering thought, that he hadn't stopped humming once. Micheal-ann got so wrapped up in Ville's massage that she hadn't realized that Ville had stopped long ago as she rest limply against his chest.

She cracked an eye open to glance up, and she began to giggle causing the water to slosh to and fro slightly.

Ville's dark hair was now white with suds, and done up nicely into a very impressive shampoo Mohawk. He looked like a devilish heathen, and with a slight turn of her body Micheal reached up and squashed the hair down with one palm giggling all the while.

"That is not a good look for you Valo."

"Ah, to hear your voice again, it has been an eternity. But I happen to be vexed at you, I worked hard on that you know, put immense effort and all." Micheal-ann smiled at the compliment and before sticking her tongue out at the man, and pushing her head back under water, she quipped slyly.

"Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt."

"You really ought to stop wearing your clothes all together, and just wear mine." Micheal-ann glared at Ville in the back of another Taxi, as he had her pulled so tightly to his side that her own bruised hip was throbbing in protest.

"You really ought to stop intruding into my personal space in public places." Mocking his Finnish accent, Micheal tugged at his fingers around her waist attempting to dismantle them.

"No, I think not. I mean you're a menace to yourself and me as well, I let you sit by your lonesome and the next thing we know we go boom." The taxi driver perked at the word boom, and glance nervously in his mirror, the beady eyes shifting between Micheal and Ville hardly paying attention to the road as a beep and a curse came from outside.

Grinning wickedly at Micheal, he leaned his head down to blow air into her ear causing her to gasp in protest. In return Micheal-ann jabbed her elbow straight into Ville's ribs.

To her chagrin, he didn't even flinch as he merely chuckled rubbing his hand down her side, pooling the sweater she now wore at her waist slowly as it collected up.

Balking at the idea of putting back on the same clothes as the day before, as well as reminding Ville that he now owed her a set of lingerie which he eagerly offered to take her to buy, Micheal had instead accepted clothes that Ville offered after he had gotten dressed.

She chose the simplest black sweater she could find with small writing on the left side spelling out 'MercyFvcks', as well as a pair of blue jeans that she was surprised she actually fit into. Pulling her boots back on to complete the ensemble, she'd put her newly clothed foot down and demanded he take her back to her apartment.

Micheal-ann had never liked being away from any 'home' she had for to long, and as the sun was slowly edging towards the horizon, she felt extremely anxious.

"_Oletko varma, että täytyy mennä se Aikuisten Lelukauppa, sijaan sairaala?"_ Ville glanced ahead as the cabby began to slow, and he saw his father's shop sign come in view in the dusk, its lights bright even against the sun, and decided to have a little fun to himself.

"_Ne Aikuisten Lelukauppa kiitos, nämä amerikkalaiset naiset ovat hulluja ystäväni. im peloissaan hänen ... se nainen voi seota milloin tahansa... älä tee äkkinäisiä liikkeitä…"_ If the cabby's eyes had been going wild before, they practically swiveled around in his skull as his knuckles turned positively white against his steering wheel. He all but convulsed and had a heart attack when Micheal-ann thrust a finger past his face to point towards Ville's father's sex shop.

"What does that mean anyway?" Ville had to hold back his laughter as the cabby began to hyperventilate and he slowly spoke his words non chalantly to the cabby before answer Micheal-ann.

"Hänen haistaa pelon, varo….. It mean's Adult Toy Store in Finnish." The cabby held his breath in an attempt to control his fear as Micheal-ann raised an eyebrow at both him and the name of the sex shop.

"Well that's kind of unoriginal."

"Were Finnish, we don't care about creativity, we care about being blunt."

"Yeah you Finnish, use that 'Were Finnish' excuse a lot."

The cabby came to a jerky stop and Micheal-ann didn't miss the way the man kept his eye downs never meeting her expression as she opened the door climbing out slowly.

Ville pulled a few euro's from his wallet, handing them off to the shaking cabby before whispering a few last words.

"_Ajelu, ennen kuin se on myöhäistä." _Literally the Finnish man's lips shook, and his eyes watered as Ville opened his own door getting out.

What he didn't expect was when Micheal-ann stuck her head in the cabbies window with a big smile and pronounced loudly in the poorest Finnish he'd ever heard.

"_Paljon kiitoksia!" _With a scream reminescent of a preubescent girl, the man slammed on his gas pedal literally forcing the wheels to screech as the car jerked away in mere seconds. Micheal-ann barely had enough time to jump back as the car shot away from here, leaving her looking straight across from where the cab had just been to a shaking Ville.

Laughs threatened to erupt as he slowly moved to her, an arm encircling her shoulders turning her towards her cousin's buildings.

"What was that about Ville Valo?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

"And my name is ."

Before Ville could answer her snide remark, Alexandra's rather chipper voice called from a window above them, making both of them look up.

"You brought the meat back? Haven't you heard the adage, dont shit where you sleep?" Micheal turned bright red at her cousin's jest.

Ville glanced at the woman he hoped to marry, delighting in the blood that now rushed to her cheeks, making her eyes squint slightly, her bruised nose crinkle, and her lips to pout out slightly.

Alexandra's face was hanging out slightly from the second floor, and they could both make out her expression as she feigned throw up.

"Yark. If he's satying for dinner, he better know how to cook because if I have to deal with your googoo eyes and winkie faces, I better be able to throw up an empty stomach. You hear me Micheal?"

Micheal rolled her eyes at her cousin's antics as a few people walking on the street walked by staring at the rude woman in the window, and at the people who answered to her.

Looking to Ville, she moved to weave an arm around his waist shrugging underneath his arm.

"You heard the boss woman, can you cook?"

"Im Finnish, I can cook anything." Micheal-ann laughed sweetly, and Ville couldnt help himself as he kissed her forhead, a small tingle running through his body as he did.

"Micheal-Ann Säde Welsh!"

Suprised at the very Finnish middle name, Ville pulled Micheal-ann closer to give her forhead another kiss as she giggled sweetly her own hand tightening on his wiast.

All of these things entranced him and after a few moments he looked up and called up to her cousin.

"Don't you mean Mr. Toad?"

_**Oletko varma, että täytyy mennä se Aikuisten Lelukauppa, sijaan sairaala?**__-_ Are you sure you need to go to the Adult Toy Shop, instead of the hospital?

_**Ne Aikuisten Lelukauppa kiitos, nämä amerikkalaiset naiset ovat hulluja ystäväni. im peloissaan hänen ... se nainen voi seota milloin tahansa... älä tee äkkinäisiä liikkeitä**_ - The Adult Toy Shop, please, these American women are crazy my friend. im scared of her ... that woman can go haywire at any time ... Do not make sudden movements

_**Ajelu, ennen kuin se on myöhäistä**__ - _Run, before it is too late

_**Paljon kiitoksia**__ –_ Thank you very much

_**Säde**_ - Rain


	8. Ike'n'Tina'

_Five Day's Later_

Tapping her fingers against the edge of the laptop, Micheal-ann tried to remember what she was just writing about the polymer process of the necessary muscle molecules needed to bind the original depraved muscle to the engineered muscle. It was hard to do as Ville softly kneaded one of her feet in his hands, his body strewn opposite her on her cousin's couch.

Tomorrow, she'd begin her exchange program and wanted to try writing her the thesis that landed her the program over without having to glance at her first draft. She had to have the information ingrained so she didn't look like some fool American sent out to stand there, look pretty, and collect dust.

It was incredibly hard to focus though, as his long fingers rubbed at her tired foot muscles calming and relaxing her all at once.

Micheal hadn't even realized she'd stopped typing at all, as she watched Ville who although was massaging her feet, had his own feet propped up on the coffee table, was transfixed on a Finnish soap. His head was covered in a knit beanie, a plain dark green long sleeve, and a pair of light jeans finished off his ensemble, his feet bare.

For the past few days, Ville had literally stuck to her side like glue and she couldn't fathom the reason he did so. He'd received over a thousand calls it seemed, and the times that Alexandra had been here she'd shoot her looks over his Finnish.

Alexandra had even told her that he was telling people he couldn't join them because he was spending time with his soon-to-be-fiance. Her cousin had nearly broken a blood vessel the first time she heard the Finnish man ask her to marry him as they were settling down to dinner and she'd just passed him the rolls.

She'd gone on for practically hours, even going as far as to sleep in Micheal-ann's room in an attempt to get the 'truth', convinced that she had known Ville all along and hadn't told her. It took just as long to finally convince her that no, she hadn't known Ville before, and he was merely trying to be clever and smart asking her to marry him. That it wasn't real.

She'd come to that conclusion the first night they had come back to the house. Ville was a rock star, he'd known hundreds of women, and he was a charming beastie. He didn't mean his proposal, it was just something to pass his time.

A sound that was becoming very familiar rose muffled from Ville's side and he rolled his eyes, pulling his hands away from her now neglected feet, bringing her back to reality.

He reached for his phone, holding it in front of his face looking for the caller ID. A surprised look went over his face before he slid his thumb across the face of the touch-screen phone and pressed it to his face.

"Hei?"

"_Eh boyfriend, come pick me up."_

"Pick you up?"

Micheal-ann's ears perked as her hands still hovered pathetically over the half done single page she'd been working on for hours. This was the first time he'd answered his phone and spoke in English other than to her. Even to her cousin Ville spoke Finnish, and she had easily felt left out and put off that she couldn't do the same.

"_Yeah, I'm in Finland, to visit you. Well you, and this new fiancé I've been hearing about of course."_

The smugness behind the man's voice slightly irked Ville as he glanced to the women in question who now was watching him, interest sparked in her wide eyes.

How in hell had the few calls he had ended by claiming solitude with a soon-to-be-fiancé, fueled enough power to get back to the states? He couldn't fathom it, but he knew that it could, and did happen.

"Soon-to-be."

"_The bitch ain't said yea?"_ The surprise did a lot to heal Ville's wounded pride as he glanced again at Micheal-ann who had taken in what he'd meant by his last statement. Micheal placed her laptop on the table, pulling her feet into her body, and crawled across the brown couch in an attempt to press her ear to the phone.

Ville kept her away with his elbow as her grinned wickedly at her, turning away from her, keeping the phone out of her reach.

"No, not for my lack of asking."

"_Shit, I asked Missy once, if she'd have said no that woulda been it. Now can you come get me lover?"_ Ville let out a laugh as Micheal-ann lunged across his body for the phone and he held it above his head as she squeaked in protest. He had raised a foot and held her at bay with it placed firmly on her stomach enjoying the sight as she fought him reaching for the phone.

"Ville, stop! This is a sign of disrespect you know, putting your feet near my face!" Ville scoffed and transferred the phone to his opposite hand and grabbed one of the hands she was flailing about in an attempt to hold her still.

"My foot, not plural, is on your stomach, not your face sweet." Micheal laughed as she still vied for the phone, anxious to see who he spoke to about her.

"VIIIILLLLLLLEEEEE!"

The Finnish man merely laughed as he held her at bay with ease still, and wiggled the phone in his hand.

"Marry me, and I'll give you the phone." Micheal-ann sat back down in her spot so quickly, Ville was sure that she'd gotten whiplash. He would've been hurt by her eagerness had her eyes not been lit in playfulness as she pouted.

He blew a kiss towards the tan woman before pulling the phone back to his face, as he heard laughing from the opposite side.

"_Your using bribery! You must look like some hell since I've last seen you!"_

"Ill be there in thirty Bam-bam." Ville hung up promptly and held his phone out towards Micheal.

She smiled sweetly and reached for it, and just as she would of grabbed I tout of his hands he laughed and yanked it out of her reach.

"A deals a deal sweet. Marry me and you get the phone, as well as the rest of me." He wiggled his eyebrows, shoving his phone into his pocket.

Micheal-ann rolled her eyes and settled into the couch, nonchalantly picking up her lap top, refusing to look at Ville as she began to type. What she was typing she wasn't sure, as her fingers glided without even a thought.

"So, this is goodbye?" Her tone was crisp and uninterested, but she was everything but that. In the past week, with every waking and sleeping moment practically spent with Ville, in her apartment, walking around the streets of Helsinki, and frequenting the sex shop more than she was comfortable admitting, She'd grown attached to the Finnish star. He'd even introduced her to his father, and they'd accompanied him to dinner, where he had with his limited English managed to compliment her every other sentence. She could tell where Ville had gotten his romantic charm, and she was finding that she wasn't immune to it even a bit.

He'd asked her nearly five times a day to marry him, and more than a few times she was tempted to agree, but the thought of her research sobered those thoughts up quickly. She didn't have time for a husband let alone to fall in love. Once tomorrow came, she'd be up to her eyeball's in work, and no time could be spared for Ville then.

That thought sent a throb of anguish through her chest as she continued to type and habitually licked her bottom lip, where it was healing quickly.

"Are you kidding me, your accompanying me sweet. I can't leave my woman all by her lonesome in an unknown country."

"I'm not your woman Villllleeee." Her voice was sing songy as she kept her vision on the white screen refusing to even glance out of the corner of her eye at the man.

"Yes you are ."

Ville slid across the coach, to hover over her keyboard, his head angled to glance up at her from her lap top's keyboard. Strapping on his most charming smile, Ville caught her in his gaze jerking his head towards the front door to his left.

"I'm not going Ville. I HAVE to finish this, my research starts tomorrow and I have absolutely no time to be running around with you again!"

"Look a chapel."

"That's an airport bar."

"Close enough."

"Your relentless."

"You won't say yes."

"No I wont."

"Then I'll keep asking."

Micheal watched the airport traffic around them as the small Mercedes that Ville had called for a minute after he'd got off the phone, idled waiting for the man, whom Ville was keeping a secret.

She wanted to know who the American was so badly, she had literally hopped about the back seat for what seemed hours as Ville watched her with his smug grin.

"How is it that you're okay with whoever this is just showing up out of no where?" Ville relaxed watching the very giddy Micheal-ann glance at the cars as well as the people that were streaming to and fro in the airport building.

"It's his style, he's one those do as he thinks it up with out a second thought. Besides he helped my band get a large American fan base, as well as being one of my closest friends whom I haven't seen since he got married." Micheal-ann blew a puff of air up to move a few of her curls away from her eyes, and sunk back into Ville's side sighing as people hugged their loved ones hello, and said good bye all at the same time.

They were quiet as they sat like that, Ville's arms spread one on the back of the seats the other across the door handle, Micheal's legs were propped onto the remaining seat space.

The scene was comforting, and Micheal-ann's thoughts turned to the aspect of being married to Ville. Would it really be that awful? And would she honestly have to give up her dream? He had his own dreams, his music, and now that she thought about it, he had a lot more to lose than she did in this.

The feeling he had spoken of their second day together was more evident than ever, and she couldn't deny the attraction that it ignited in her stomach each time she looked at him. Every word he said about their.. whatever it was they had at the moment.. she knew was true, and it scared her to think that way.

She didn't think she could give him her everything, the way that she was sure he would want. Well anyone who got married expected the other persons everything and as bad as it sounded, she was a selfish person.

She wanted to keep her secrets, her thoughts, actions to herself.

Micheal-ann didn't want to have to depend on anyone or any man to be able to function. She'd only been in love once before, when she was seventeen and that had destroyed her in everyway imaginable. It had also motivated to get out of California, out of the United States.

Pushing the thought of the betrayal that still haunted her soul, Micheal returned to the topic she had been trying to focus on. The thought of marrying Ville Valo.

Ville jumped slightly, shaken from his relaxation, when his phone vibrated letting him know he had text message. Pulling his arm off the door handle, he pulled his phone from the front pocket of his black leather and tapped the small icon on the screen that told him he had a message waiting for him.

His screen blanked for a few moments before lighting up again to show a text from Bam.

'Am outside, where r u?'

Ville nudged Micheal-ann who instantly sat up, and he used the arm that had been resting on the door handle to officially open it, as he climbed out offering his hand back to Micheal.

Grasping his hand, Micheal pulled her body through the cab and stumbled to stand up next to him flashing a tentative smile at Ville who merely held onto her hand with a vice grip.

A chuckle went through his chest as he watched Micheal-ann pull herself together and her cheeks light in embarrassment. Micheal-ann slowly pulled her hand out of Ville's and her skin practically cried out as the electric heat that had kept her warm in the cab was now gone.

Her thick dark blue pea coat hugged her curves, but what made her extremely comfortable was the tight jeans that were a little big on her. Ville hadn't even given her a second glance when she came out of her room wearing his jeans, the sly smile was enough.

Ville had taken her wearing his jeans as a good sign, an improvement towards the constant No's he was delivered each day with out fail, and it also sparked his lust like a match to gasoline.

He closed the black door as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and hers dutifully followed around his waist, moving onto the sidewalk. She wasn't sure who she was supposed to be looking for but beside the point, her other hand reached up to lace her fingers with the hand around her shoulders.

The platform for a moment was completely clear, and Micheal glanced at Ville who watched with silent eyes, waiting as his body heat transferred to her.

"Holy shit, did you guys pull an 'Ike'n'Tina' on the way here?"

Jumping at the low slightly mumbled words, Micheal-ann looked to the right to see a medium height man, a purple beanie, black glasses obscuring his face. His chin was covered with a short black beard, and she instantly recognized him.

"Your Bam Margera."

"And you got beat up. You both did."

Micheal's mouth hung slightly agape as she turned her face to look at Ville with a raised eyebrow and a shocked expression. Taking that moment she also assessed how they might look to anyone else other than themselves.

Ville's eye had gone through the worst of the swelling and was now only half swollen, the bruise moving from its blue stage, fading into yellow at the edge. The chin bruise had already begun to fade but was still gnarly enough to warrant a hiss of pain from any passer byes. Ville's chin resembled her nose, the yellow edging onto her cheeks. Her lip, courtesy of his often kisses, was still red and inflamed the healing hardly taking place at all. Luckily their clothes covered his scabbed shoulders, and her black bite mark.

"You would know Bam-bam." Ville lifted his arm from Micheal and moved forward to throw his arms around the smaller man.

They hugged for a moment, before pulling away and turned to stand at his side, both of them facing Micheal who stood with an innocent clear expression on her face.

"This, this sexy woman, is Micheal-ann Welsh. My fiancé?" Micheal-ann couldn't help the smile as she shook her head no and held a hand out towards the movie star.

"Not any time soon." Ville grinned as Bam shook her hand in his turning to raise an eyebrow above his glasses a small smirk on his lips. He understood exactly what was going through his friend's brain and it amused him.

Bam pulled his sunglasses off, shoving them in the pocket of his black jeans and grinned big and wide towards Ville's woman.

"Well damn, now I understand why he keeps asking."


	9. A Clean, Well Lighted Place

"So enlighten me.. how long have you actually known each other?" Bam sipped at a dark brew, strewn across one half of the booth they sat in, watching with tired eyes at the Fin and his 'fiance'.

Ville's arm rested on Micheal-ann's body, who had almost immediately passed out at the table, having yawned the entire last few hours they'd went about Helsinki with Bam. Her head rested softly on his thigh, her hands folded to her chest. Ville's long black pea coat covered her sleeping form.

He wasn't surprised either considering the past few nights she'd been mumbling about the exchange program she was going to start, pouring herself over books and papers that had such small print and big theory's that Ville had felt his head spin when he attempted to read just a few paragraphs.

Moving his arm slowly, Ville moved a strand of hair that had fallen across Micheal's face and tucked it behind her ear before replacing his hand to where it had been.

"A week, I believe." Using his other hand, Ville slowly stirred the hot tea he'd ordered letting the fumes of heat rise and evaporate.

Bam began to chuckle coarsely as he took another long sip, placing the glass gingerly back on the table.

"Your insane. She could be a serial killer, a prostitute! How in hell did you meet her?"

Although Bam's tone was disbelieving, he kept the volume down, respectful to the sleeping woman.

For all of his defects, his anger, and stupid antics, Bam was not the uncaring ass he'd portrayed a thousand times, to a million different people. He often was quiet, reserved, and took more enjoyment in listening to others than forcing them to do so.

"Stumbled lost in my da's sex shop." His mouth flying open, Bam raised his hands in a confused gesture as he practically convulsed in his seat.

"And you want to marry the girl you met in a sex shop, after knowing her a week?"

"I actually proposed after two days."

"Your nuts."

The small cantina pub was clean, and well lit with several patrons scattered about either conversing with a friend or minding themselves. With large glass windows and wooden frames, the booths were a deep brown pleather that was so worn in, it gave only character to the small pub. Strangers walked by the dark streets glancing through the large windows, as a Ismo Alanko song played softly in the background. All in all the place was comfortable and reminded Ville of a shot story he'd once read, 'A Clean, Well-Lighted Place' by Ernest Hemingway.

Ville placed the spoon he'd been using to stir the chamomile on the saucer before he slowly lifted the cup to his lips, glancing at Bam's exasperated face, then to Micheal-ann's sleeping form. He didn't know her at all. Didn't know what she did for fun, had no inkling what her favorite book was, nor her favorite movie. He didn't know how she liked her coffee and couldn't decide if she even liked sleeping with a blanket or not. She had small tattoo's in hidden places, and he still didn't know what any of them said, as well as a often grouchy wit he couldn't quite wrap his head around most times.

Ville knew that she liked salt on absolutely everything, including rice. She liked to chew on tacks when she was nervous and constantly twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. When she was asleep, she jerked sharply, having hit him twice in the face already. Her laugh was jarring and boisterous causing everyone to look when she thought something was funny, and she could not stop quoting movies. He knew her favorite animal was a Hyena, and she loved the artist John Mayer. She never ate breakfast, walked around her apartment in heels for no reason, fit random words into crossword puzzles when she was bored, and was allergic to kiwi's.

Ville Valo knew that he wanted to know everything about her, and to him that was enough.

The silence stretched between Ville and his visitor as they both sipped quietly, each from his respective cup, Ville thinking of Micheal, and Bam thinking of Ville.

Bam wasn't sure what he fully thought about the situation yet, all he really knew was that this wasn't like Ville at all. It had taken his friend nearly three years to ask Joanna to marry him, and even then, their engagement had last a few months, her crazy antics coming to a head quickly.

Ville had never really gone into detail about the stuff that had gone on behind closed doors, but Bam had interacted enough to see the wheels that had turned around in the woman's pretty little head. She'd often end most nights that she'd been out with them, with tantrums and had on more than one occasion thrown whatever had been on hand about. When Ville showed up with a black eye, mumbling an excuse about a rough night, It'd been the straw for Ville as well as Bam.

He'd spent that entire night up, boozing with the singer consoling him the best he could, considering he wasn't any where near being the patriarch figure on relationships. It had been the first step and since then, Ville had climbed his way back up to stand on his own and depend on himself. Bam had always had the man up on a pedestal as his hero, and it had killed him to watch him flail in pain, and he couldn't understand what he was trying to do now.

"Why her?" Ville thought the question through as he pulled his eyes away from Micheal-ann who had twitched for a moment on his lap, and focused back onto the shorter man who watched him with a quixotic expression.

"Because she pronounced my name right, the very first time she heard it."

Bam shook his head in disbelief and motioned toward her his tone clipped and demanding.

"I'm asking you in all seriousness here Ville. Were getting old, both of us have had our share of shit. We've got scars, wrinkles, and stories to prove it. She's just starting out. Twenty two! I can't even remember being alive at that age, I literally have lost that year of age in my memory." Bam paused and closed his eyes for a moment before pinching the bridge of his nose, reopening his eyes to pin the Fin with a look he hadn't seen many times. It was pure earnest, and friendship.

"What's really going on here Ville?"

Ville licked his lips, and without looking down ran his hand up her arm, to caress her sleeping cheek. Even asleep, she nuzzled against his hand, turned over pushing her nose into his stomach and settled right back into soundless sleep.

Ville didn't bother to try and pick his words as he leaned back against the booth stall and let his gaze glance across the patrons of the bar his words coming easily.

"Have you ever ordered a new dish off a restaurant menu, and the moment it comes out, you can smell it and your stomach starts to growl because it smells THAT good? You salivate until you finally take a bite and boom, that's your new favorite dish. You can eat it all day everyday even though you don't have to. People tell you that you should stop because your going to get tired of it soon, and you brush them off just enjoying it. The only reason you stop eating it is because people say its not good for you, that your going to get heartburn or something like that, but you know in the back of your mind you still want it so badly, and don't understand why you aren't eating it again, be damned the heartburn and all?" Bam simply raised an eyebrow, and took a swig of beer.

Ville continued on in the same strange tangent as he pointed down to the sleeping woman.

"She's my new favorite dish. Except this time, I'm not going to stop eating because others say so. I've only felt strongly about a few things in my life, and I have done just what you said and have gotten scars and stories because most of the time I hesitated. I'm thirty two, and I don't want to hesitate. I want to jump into this with a bib, knife, fork, and a few napkins for the spills." Ville was completely satisfied with his wacky analogy and simply reached for his tea, and took a few sips from the rim, delighting in the warmth that spread through out his body.

Bam fiddled with the handle on the glass as he assessed the information he'd been practically attacked with biting the inside of his lip looking out into the dark streets on Helsinki. After a few minutes, Bam lifted his glass to the darkness, putting the glass to his lips before mumbling.

"Well isn't that one hell of a double meaning."

Micheal-ann tried to make sense of Ville's explanation as she attempted to feign her own sleep, twitching once again drawing Ville's hand to rest on her hair.

At first as she had listened to him, she'd been slightly offended at his words taking it as she was merely the new flavor of the week, a new 'dish' he tried and would mess around with for the hell of it, but the more she thought about it, she understood his sentiment and was touched by it.

He had meant, in combination with his other words, that he felt strongly for her and had felt the connection, and before he'd hesitate on it but now in his life he didn't want to hesitate, he wanted to do what he knew was right, be damned anyone else.

Oddly content with the words Ville spoke, Micheal-ann slowly allowed herself to truly fade into sleep her mind done with her over thinking for the night.

Bam finished his pint and patted his stomach in content before motioning once again to the sleeping woman, as Ville motioned towards two waiters who were sitting at their own table talking amongst themselves.

"So what are we to-do about sleeping beauty?"

"Well we really ought to get back, she has school tomorrow."

"I'm going to be the dick here and say, did you just hear yourself? 'school tomorrow'? Are we back in high school?" Waving his hand as if to shoo off a pesky fly towards Bam, Ville thanked the waiter who'd brought over another saucer of tea, as well as a small glass of water.

"How bout we change the subject to your love life Bam, what's this I've heard about you having two girlfriends outside of Missy?" That shut Bam up really quickly as he traced a finger along the empty glass.

"I do have two girlfriends outside of Missy." Ville shook his head at his friend and slowly moved his body to a more comfortable position letting Micheal-ann's head loll momentarily on his leg.

"And your giving me shit about wanting to marry her? You know that's wrong Bamio and I shouldn't be the only one telling you this. Missy's a good woman, who put up with your shit a long time before you were married." Bam's temper was irked slightly at Ville's matter of fact tone, but he squashed it because of all people he'd ever known, Ville had never bullshitted him, had always told the truth.

"This is different, I'm not going to marry the broads. They are just there for my amusement. Missy's okay with it, so it's not like I'm lying behind her back or anything about it."

"The only reason you're doing it is because you're a spoiled brat. You've been spoiled by sweet April and Phil, as well as your crew of friends who follow you about, and by Missy. She is everything but okay with it Bam, and you know better than to sit there piously as if she is. Missy doesn't want to share you at all, but _you_ want to be shared, so she'll give you what you want because she loves you. In this, your being an ass." Ville was matter of fact and almost vicious as he set Bam straight. He'd never admit it but he felt almost above Bam at that moment, because once he'd done the same type of stuff trying to ruin his relationships for nothing. Now he only wanted one woman, one love, and here Bam was trying to repeat his mistakes.

With a huff of anger, Bam shoved his body out of the booth and hissed at Ville like a wounded snake, drawing the patron's eyes as he flailed his arms about. The amusing thought was that he still kept his voice down.

"You don't know a damn thing about me and Missy. You became the recluse after Joanna, so don't you act pious, preaching about my relationships you know nothing about."

"If I wasn't right, you wouldn't be getting so angry."

Bam's mouth opened several times as he blew a raspberry in defiance and began his sentence nearly four times before he growled.

"I'm angry because you… your just…. " Flailing his arms about a little more for dramatic effect, Bam flopped his body back into the booth and grabbed the glass shoving it into the air. The waiter who had already been watching him, sprung into action and within a minute another beer was on the table before Bam.

Minutes squeezed by, Bam emptied half of the glass, pouted out the window and finally mumbled defeated.

"Your right."

Ville had to stop himself from mockingly answering that of course he was, and instead slowly reached down, his hand stroking Micheal-ann's cheek and whispered softly.

"Sweet? It's time to wake up."

Micheal-ann twitched once, and then her eyes opened slowly, hazed at first and then slowly looked at him with the cutest expression of sleep that he'd ever seen, before giving him a small smile. Nestling further into his stomach, Micheal-ann closed her eyes again and breathed in the lily of the valley smell she'd grown to love.

"Do I have to?"

"If you'd like to sleep in a café, then no you don't have to." Micheal-ann chuckled at the dry humor before re-opening her eyes and slowly lifting her upper body with her abs, amused to find Bam with a sullen look of a child who just had his hand slapped for reaching for another cookie as he cradled his beer glass.

"How long was I asleep?" Micheal-ann rubbed at the back of her head, smoothing down any fly aways that might have occurred the little bit of time she'd let herself conk out.

"For an hour or so." Ville pulled the back of her pea coat down from its mussed position on the small of her back, and thanked her as she passed him his black coat.

Micheal-ann glanced out of the window when out of the corner she was startled by a flashing light. When she saw nothing other than people passing by as well as cars, she pushed it out of her mind and returned to facing Ville.

He gave her his wicked grin, before leaning forward kissing her square on the lips for a few moments before pulling away with a small misplaced laugh.

As always Ville's kisses stuck body to the ground, or in this sense seat, and she took a few moments to recuperate as Ville stood, pulling his coat on over his dark green long sleeve.

"Well Brandon, I will see you tomorrow then?" Bam merely mumbled something incoherent, wrapped up in his own thoughts and his beer waving a hand for a moment at him.

Micheal-ann slid out of the booth, and Ville instantly took hold of her arms assisting her in standing, and she very politely pulled her arms away from him and then said matter factly.

"No, you should stay with Bam. I have to go home and study a bit more anyway, and I'm getting up insanely early tomorrow for school, so attempting to stay at Alexandra's apartment would only be chaos for you."

"I like chaos!" Ville flinched as his voice got a little higher in an attempt to convince the pretty American that he should accompany her back to her apartment.

Micheal smiled sweetly and reached back grabbing her bag that had been discarded in the booth, and slung it across her chest. Moving into Ville's arms she gave him another small peck of her own, before patting his chest and scampering out of his reach a moment before he tried to grab her back.

"Good-bye Bam, it was nice to meet you, and I hope I see you again before you leave!" Bam who'd taken an interest in the happenings now, gave her a small wave an amused smile lilting his lips up as he glanced to Ville.

"Same Micheal, but hopefully you'll stay awake next time." Micheal-ann laughed as she pulled farther away from the two men.

Ville astounded at the sudden change in plans stood like an idiot at the base of the table, simply staring after her. When she reached the café door, and it gave off a small bell, it jolted him into action as he practically sprinted to follow her.

"Hey, that is not very polite to leave me standing there refusing my company!" Ville had to vague inclination that he sounded like a wining school boy but he couldn't help it. She was sending him to the dog house practically as she didn't even bother to turn to look at him as she hailed a taxi with a mere wave of her hand.

Micheal-ann stuck her hand in the front pocket of her bag pulling out a sheet of paper with her cousin's address on it and moved forward opening the cab's door.

"Hey!" Ville tried to fight the panic that ran through out his chest trying to figure out what the hell had happened in the few minutes that she'd woken up.

Finally, she had mercy on his nerves as she turned back to him a tentative sad smile on her face.

"I have to go Ville."

"Why can't I come?"

"Because, right now I need to be ready for tomorrow, and don't take this in a bad way but you're a major distraction." Ville did take it in a bad way, anything she could say right now he would take in a bad way. He didn't want to leave her, and here she was practically forcing him to.

The cabbie made a noise of discontent, and Micheal smiled at him mumbling sorry in Finnish, before turning one last time to the Finnish man staring at her with the largest puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen.

"Good night Ville." With that, she shoved her body as quickly as she could into the back seat of the cab and closed the door with a jerk of her wrist. The car pulled away from the curb, and even though every fiber in her being told her not to turn and look at him, Micheal did.

Ville watched her pull away from him, and he felt the panic that had threatened begin to set in, and he huffed as his asthma threatened to start up. He wanted to chase after the car, throw himself in front of it, and force her to stay with him, but he knew he couldn't do that.

His girl had to take care of her own stuff, and he couldn't be selfish.

As he watched he saw her turn around and he raised a hand giving a small wave to the beautiful woman who watched him with her doe eyes.

Micheal-ann put her hand on the back window and felt her heart sink into her stomach, her chest empty and hollow.

Ville didn't turn away from the lost American until the cab took a left disappearing from view, and slowly drug his body back into the pub. Bam still sat in the same booth and as Ville joined him he grinned half heartedly.

"I don't think your going back to her apartment Valo."


	10. Welcome To Hell

"We show here that the photoinduced changes in the size and hydration of a "smart" polymer chain coil can be used to regulate substrate access and enzyme activity when conjugated to the enzyme at a specific point just outside the active site. The photoresponsive polymers thus serve jointly as antennae and actuators that reversibly respond to distinct optical signals to switch the polymer–enzyme conjugates on and off, and work when the conjugate is free in solution or when immobilized on the muscle tissue."

Dr. Markku Varjosalo watched Micheal-ann with such a dominating stare, his already dark red thin lips were almost non-existent. His bright blue eyes practically bored a hole through her forehead, but she refused to be intimidated.

Although her eyes held small bags underneath them, and her white dress shirt was slightly wrinkled from her rush out of the door in the morning, she knew what she was talking about and that's all that mattered.

Gesturing to the slideshow she'd prepared she pointed to a picture of the changing muscle patterns in Simon, a little boy she'd worked on for over a year at Vassar's medical institute. The eleven year old blonde boy had the largest green eyes she'd ever seen and it had broken her heart nearly every day when she saw the way he fought to do things by himself. He'd snapped at the group of doctors she'd been integrated in so harshly the first time they'd come most of them asked to be re-assigned to different patients.

Her mother had taught her long ago that when things attack its because they are scared, and took that with a grain of salt and went back that same afternoon to talk to the little boy without her lab coat.

Soon, Simon had warmed up to her, and whenever she'd come in he'd show her new action figures he had received from his grandparents, as well as new comic books that had some funny new villain.

She never looked at him like a wounded thing, and because of it, he'd never been mean to her.

"Well, how do you know that it is the polymer repairing?" Dr. Varjosalo's tone was nasty and she wanted to shove her foot straight into his arse, sending the stick that was already there through the roof of his skull.

"The team I was on, did tests and research for over a year on Simon Dufay, and until we administered the polymer-enzyme had no changes whatsoever in his muscular tissue."

Micheal-ann felt like she was standing in the middle of a room, with hundreds of arrows pointed straight at her, only moments away from striking. She'd woken up late and in that it had given her no time to worry about her incoming presentation she was required to deliver, and now that worry reaped havoc on her.

The exhaustion of the night was bearing down on her shoulders as well. She'd spent more than half the night rolling from side to side her body refusing to relax, and the other part with nightmares that jarred her awake several times.

"Ms. Welsh, did you not hear me?" Jumping back to reality Micheal-ann smiled slowly at the annoyed doctor and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry; I was distracted for a moment." After she spoke the words she knew she'd said the wrong thing and stopped herself from smacking herself in the forehead, and sure enough the doctor jumped on the weakness.

"And how, if distracted so easily, am I to believe you'll be an asset to my team in FIMM?" The Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine, that's what he used against her. The research she was sent here to do.

Micheal-ann bit her lip and nearly squeaked at the pain it delivered her, and out of reflex reached up to touch her still busted lip. Her fingers moved up to slowly run over her still bruised nose as her brain raced with an answer to cover her slip.

She'd been chosen for this, and now she couldn't even rebut a simple question. She should easily be able to do so, even if it was aimed in an attempt to embarrass her.

As her mind reeled, the doctor got a smug expression on his face and turned motioning to a woman who had shown her in, who began to stand up, no doubt in an attempt to shoo her off the podium.

Micheal-ann couldn't and wouldn't let that happen as she slapped the few papers she was holding on the small wooden podium before her and stalked out from behind it.

"You're to believe I'm an asset Dr. Varjosalo because I am the highest recommended lab assistant from the entire United State's bioengineering circuit, and I know what it is I'm talking about. I leave nothing to chance, and I work for everything I have. I am determined, and my intelligence, as well as my work are an asset to you whether you like me personally or not."

She felt practically giddy at the authoritative tone she managed to gain as she whipped the Finnish doctor into place with her mere words. His eye's widened and his mouth waggled open like a fish trying to breathe out of water.

The four other people in the room (Three women, one male), excluding the first woman, were staring at each other, not even bothering to whisper what all of them were thinking.

As she stood their, Micheal-ann suddenly began to feel foolish, and she was right in doing so as the anger that coursed through the short Finnish doctors eyes became more rapid as he stood from his seat his knuckles white.

"You will do well to remember Ms. American-sass that you are a part of my team, and talking back to me will get you sent back to your fat country faster than you can even utter polymer again, do you understand?" The three woman that had been watching her presentation had sick looks of satisfaction on their faces, as the male was biting his lip his own face holding a look of pity.

Micheal wanted to scream at him, to tell him exactly why her 'fat' country was better than this hell hole of ice, and to let him know exactly where he could put his team.

Instead she simply nodded and turned back gathering the papers she had thrown down, refusing to look anyone in the eye. She heard chairs scrap against flooring, as the others must of stood.

"Now, if you think to be compliant, follow us to the work station you'll be at for the next six months." Micheal didn't bother to even look at any of them as she strode to the projector, turning it off, and trudged down the few steps of the raised platform.

How stupid was she, trying to use sheer attitude to get her way. This wasn't American, and she'd been dumb enough to forget it. She might as well pack her bags and leave now, because no matter how hard she tried from that moment on, she knew the doctor would hound her like a mosquito on its blood source.

"For what it's worth, he didn't like you the moment he found out you were American." Startled that someone had spoken to her, Micheal-ann glanced up to find the one male who'd at least looked at her in pity.

He was about four inches taller than her, a lanky build with absolutely no muscle or color to him. He was as white as a sheet of paper, in fact so white his skin had that red sheen that told of over sun exposure. His orange hair was cut to a shaggy length, almost reaching his eyes, which matched hers with eerie precision. He also wore a white shirt, underneath a black day blazer and skinny tie that was sloppily thrown over the entire ensemble.

All in all, he looked just as tired as she felt, and friendlier than she most likely deserved.

"So I'm to assume, I didn't have a chance to begin with?"

"No. You didn't even have an inkling of a chance." Micheal-ann chuckled as she slapped the papers in her hand against her thigh, as he fell into step at her side, as they both followed the three women and the doctor they were cooing over.

"That's comforting." The man stuffed his hands into his black slacks and shrugged his shoulders, before he smiled at her and re-pulled a hand from one of his pockets.

"Hannu Tähti"

"Micheal-ann Welsh"

Grasping onto the thin man's hand, Micheal-ann earnestly smiled at the man, before motioning to the group ahead of them.

"And, I'm guessing they slept their way here?" Hannu full out laughed, bringing all three girls to glance behind them before turning back to the doctor whispering amongst themselves.

"You could say that." Hannu's accent was thick and Micheal-ann realized that he didn't normally speak in English and was happy that he'd bothered at all to make her feel included. It was nice to realize that at least one person would be on her side in this.

"And you?" Micheal-ann motioned towards the red-head and he grinned very goofily and placed a hand on his chest.

"I'm not so easy, besides I don't think I have enough cleavage to tempt the good doctor." The laugh that erupted from within Micheal was deafening as it tore through the quiet hallway they were moving through, and brought more than the four sets of eyes from the ones ahead of the.

Hannu glanced around at the staring Fin's and felt bad for the cute American. She was clearly a pistol and his countrymen were more the most judgmental on the planet when it came to being proper in public. They were going to have a field day with her clearly evident by even her appearance.

Her white dress shirt was slightly wrinkled, over a pair of black leather pants that were slightly baggy on her, her feet clad in a pair of leather sandals.

That amused him most, Sandals in Finland, she really was American.

Her hair was half pulled back by a very sparkly green butterfly pin, and her face was bare other than the bruise and cut that marred her beauty.

Micheal-ann Welsh was every bit the beautiful scatterbrained scholar Hannu had not expected.

"Sorry. I deserved that. Don't mind me." Micheal ran a hand through the bottom of her hair, twirling a strand around one of her fingers as she smiled apologetically towards the other workers around FIMM.

Hannu nudged her arm with his elbow and gestured towards the large double doors that the foursome had just disappeared into.

"Please keep your hands and feet in at all time, if you have any baggage please leave it at the terminal. Welcome to Hell American."

* * *

><p>What felt like hundred of hours later, Micheal-ann practically fell out of the lab with her sanity half intact.<p>

All day she'd received scathing insult one after another, not only from Markku Varjosalo but from his three lap-whores: Anneli, Johanna, and Veera.

The three women, who looked freakishly alike in appearance with matching black hair and muddy brown eyes, were viciously obvious with their attitudes and gossip. They had refused to speak English at all, and had taken pleasure in insulting her in Finnish all day. Of course she couldn't understand exactly what they said, but their mocking laughter and glares were enough to tell her the gist of what they spoke of.

Her only real saving grace all day had been Hannu, who'd snapped at the three harpies on more than one occasion in English, letting them have a piece of his mind. This clearly upset Johanna, who she could tell apart from the others only because of a small mole above the right corner of her mouth, whom glanced at Hannu with goo-goo eyes every time he turned to his work.

Hannu had kept her entertained with stories of nothing at all, and had often forgotten a plot or even a main character in most of the short ones he had attempted to tell her. He never outright laughed, just chuckled and she found him refreshing to say the least.

Dr. Varjosalo, clearly sexist, had really only given instructions to Hannu who then dolled out the work between the four of the women. Micheal had quickly realized that Hannu gave her the stimulating work, while the three harpies were given the left over's, or anything that wouldn't garner them any praise at all. Fool's work really.

It nearly broke her heart to realize that no matter the caustic wit of Hannu, she hated where she was at. At least back at Vassar she had Simon and a few friends that had lightened the depressing work, as well as truly gave her the inspiration to actually excel at her work. Here she could feel her brain wither away; focused more on how uncomfortable she was, rather than the complex forms of isotopes and other basics of the research.

"You survived." The matter of fact tone made her glare at Hannu who stood in front of her with his ever present stance of hands in his pockets his head cocked to one side.

"Barely. I might as well just serve up my jugular to the three witches and be done with it."

"I'd watch what I say, they might take the invitation." Blowing a raspberry, Micheal finished buttoning her dark blue pea coat, and then fluidly threw the strap of her bag across her chest. She was ready to get back home, and sleep. Be damned the equations she needed to finish, she could do that either when she woke up, or the next day between her breaks.

Hannu held the door to the front of the building open, and she slipped out onto the University's campus, into the crisp chilly air.

The campus was absolutely breathtaking, the architecture classic, and was blissfully clean. She'd seen so many dirty streets and areas in New York; she was nearly giddy to find Finland to be far cleaner than any where she'd ever been before in her life.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Micheal-ann headed towards the main building, as well as the main street that ran in front of it to catch a cab.

"Well aren't we in a hurry." Micheal glanced to her left, and felt slightly ashamed. In the hurry he spoke of, Micheal hadn't even thought to offer to walk with Hannu who had ate up the distance she'd made quickly with only a few quick strides.

"I'm sorry, are you heading towards the administration building?" She fell into step next to his side as he offered his arm to her.

Micheal felt a tremor of sadness run throughout her as she thought of Ville and the fact that she hadn't heard from him after last night. Of course she'd coldly left him outside the pub, but she knew if she'd have lingered his eyes would have easily coaxed her into bringing him home with her and she needed to be focused.

_A lot good that did, _Micheal thought bitterly.

Hannu, slowly lowered his offered arm when a look of anguish past over Micheal-ann's face and awkwardly walked beside her as she began to stomp her feet her expression now dark.

Looking to her quiet companion, Micheal realized that she'd been throwing a silent tantrum and quickly fixed her loud steps and smiled halfheartedly at Hannu.

"Sorry, I was thinking of something."

"Well, I can honestly say I would not like to be that something." She grinned honestly and rolled her eyes looking forward across the open quad.

As they moved closer to the main building, she noticed the amount of people begin to increase with such a thickness she began to have to step around small groups of people clumped together with more and more frequency.

"What the heck is going on?" She asked Hannu as the crowd literally got so thick she couldn't see the street opening at the side of the administration building she'd entered that morning.

"Must be some celebrity."

"You guy's have those here?" The drole glare that Hannu gave her made her laugh as loud as she had earlier that day making several people around her flinch and move away from her.

She didn't have the time to be hurt or anything by them because a moment later she heard a woman to her right say a name she'd just been thinking about within her Finnish jabber.

"_En ole kuullut noin Ville Valo luennointi tahansa kampukselta tänään! Jumala, jos vain voisimme päästä ja hänelle Stefania, en olisi kirjaimellisesti raiskaus hänet.."_ She didn't understand a damn thing the woman said other than Ville Valo and that had been enough.

She completely forgot about Hannu as she took a football stance and practically plowed down anyone in front of her as she fought her way through the dense crowd.

Micheal couldn't see where she was going, nor did she even know where Ville was, but she merely just followed the way people were facing, expecting them to be able to see far better than she could.

More than once she was yelled after by disgruntled Finnish people, as she literally began to elbow and shoulder her way through the dense crowd.

Just as she got through the very worst of it, she was stopped by a huge, fat man, who she literally could not get around. Short and squat, his width spread nearly three times her diameter and stumped her right then and there.

"Could you have eaten one less hamburger?" She hissed in the man's ear and his fat neck bulged as he turned to look at her confused, clearly not speaking English.

As she attempted to motion to him to please get the hell out of her way, the chattering and partial screaming increased to a monstrous din.

Looking past the fat man who had now turned back to face front wards, A very lithe body came into view, and she couldn't help smiling so widely her face immediately began to hurt. Her heart fluttered and she pulled a hand to her lips, wanting to squeal in a very unlady like way so badly it was bursting from within her.

Ville worked his way through the crowd of clambering students, very careful to protect to two large red sunflowers that he'd brought to surprise Micheal-ann after their first day apart since meeting. He'd specifically chosen both red for passionate love and the sun flower for adoration, and felt like a child with a macaroni necklace waiting for his parent to see what he'd done just for them.

He was trying to find the FIMM building where he'd been instructed to go for Bio-engineering and had only gotten a few paces from the main building when the hoards of students began to show up. He tried to be patient and nice to each and ever person but soon, he felt overwhelmed and worried he'd end up missing Micheal-ann.

So when he saw her tan face behind a blubbery man, he easily could have clicked his heels together and danced in place. He was blown away by how gorgeous she looked, all disheveled and with an angry expression across her delicate features.

He'd literally pushed past the people now in front of him, and he caught her eye finally as she looked up past the fat man she'd said something to. The smile she gave him in a movie would have made her look like a goddess but because it was reality she only looked really, really good.

Coming up to the fat man who looked close to popping out a few cakes, Ville could hardly contain himself as he asked the man dryly.

"_Voisitteko__siirtyä__pois__tieltä, jotta__voin__suudella__sulhaseni__?"_ He moved so quickly, he might as well have not been there at all, and blissfully Ville was graced with Micheal-ann... wearing his leather pants.

Sheepishly holding the sunflowers towards her, Ville smiled wickedly.

"Here I thought I'd be sneaky and suprise you." Micheal-ann laughed and took the flowers from Ville's hand, completely enraptured with him. How he'd known sunflowers were her favorite was beyond her, and it made her that much more enthralled.

"It's the thought that counts."

"Does my thought earn me a 'hello' kiss?" Wagging his eyebrows, his smile grew even wickeder and Micheal-ann literally melted as she shyly smelt the flowers all thoughts of her horrible day retreating to the back of her mind, practically lost.

"Not a one." Ville gasped in horror as he stared at her, and Micheal-ann began to laugh immensly loud, again making several people around them flinch. It only made Ville's eyes smother her with admiration as he moved forward and gathered her in his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, her sunflowers pressed against his back as she looked up at him, and was treated with a kiss that stuck her feet to the very concrete they stood on.

A whoop ran through the crowd as well as a groan, and people began to dissipate from around them, feeling awkward being so close to the kissing couple.

Ville felt calm for the first time since the night before and slowly pulled his lips away from the tingling kiss and pressed his forhead to her own staring into her big green eyes.

"You, Villie, are incredibly charming."

Micheal-ann didn't and couldnt acknowledge the people that still milled around them as he filled her entire presence of mind. Ville pulled an arm away from wrapping around her shoulders and pushed her hair away from her neck slipping his hand to rest against her jawline and cheek.

"Shut up."

Ville re-captured her lips, and Micheal had no problem with doing just that.

* * *

><p><strong><em>En ole kuullut noin Ville Valo luennointi tahansa kampukselta tänään! Jumala, jos vain voisimme päästä ja hänelle Stefania, en olisi kirjaimellisesti raiskaus hänet<em>** - I have not heard about Ville Valo lecturing anywhere on campus today! God, if only we could get to him Stefania, I would literally rape him.

**voisitteko****siirtyä****pois****tieltä, jotta****voin****suudella****sulhaseni****? **- Could you please move out of the way so I can kiss my fiance?


	11. Same Problem

Getting off the campus had taken a bit less time than it had taken Ville originally to get on, considering most didn't want to bother him with his arm slung around the small beautiful woman at his side.

The few who had been bold enough were met with friendly smiles, but Ville nor Micheal-ann stopped walking and forced the few to trot at their side. They gave up easily leaving the two to walk relatively in peace.

Micheal loved the fact that he'd come just in time to save her day from being completely ruined. She'd never tell but honestly if he'd done his whole song and dance of matrimony at that point, she'd have said yes with out hesitation.

Ville felt light as a feather, as they left the campus behind, opting for a short walk to a small theatre rather than going right back to her apartment. Her satchel was wrapped around to her back, and she had been unusual quiet leaning into him with nothing but an arm around his waist.

Looking to the woman, Ville quirked his lip up in a half smile before drawing her closer to his body kissing her forehead. Her walk slowed as she snuggled closer to his chest letting him hold her. He wanted to feel content with her silence, but considering for the past week she'd be anything but that other than once, he felt on edge. He waited a few moments before slowly letting her move away from his chest and looked down at her.

Micheal-ann was so thankful for Ville, she'd didn't know what to say to him for this. Of course all he did was show up with a couple flowers but, it was so much more. The entire day she'd been feeling close to tears, and had forced herself to be strong against the constant battering.

She wanted to get home, climb into her bed, and cry for a little. She felt extreme self-pity for herself, and she had no shame in admitting it. When Micheal had heard about her acceptance into the Finnish exchange program she'd literally dropped her backpack in the counseling office at Vassar and screamed and danced in excitement.

She'd gone to her apartment, invited her lab mates over, and partied the night away. Micheal-ann woke up with the worst headache she'd ever had, and it had been the best feeling in the world. She was being given the opportunity of a life time, and she'd been so hopeful and excited, more so because her cousin would be there to help her along the way.

So when she'd shown up this morning, all of her dreams, hopes and excitement had been for shit. She'd been shot down in every single way and it had literally stripped away all of her defenses making her want nothing more than to slump to the floor and stay there for a thousand years.

Ville Valo had repaired her entire faith in her choice to come to Finland, and that spoke eon's.

She rested her head against his shoulder closed her eyes, completely trusting him to lead her where ever. He could take her to a damn stripper joint and she'd still sit there with stars in her eyes.

With the simple act of taking the initiative to find out where she'd be and actually showing up there, he'd won her over.

Any thoughts she had of being alone, of herself, her future, her anything were gone and anything he could think to mention would become the next best thing.

"Are you all right sweet?" The streets were busy with several people practically jogging to and fro, as cars and vespa's streaked past in a steady succession fawning her calm intellect with a steady stream of sound that only placated her further.

"Perfect." Ville didn't miss the dreamy tone she answered with in the least and full on turned his attention to her, studying her movements and mannerisms.

If he didn't know better he'd think she'd had her limit of alcohol and was done for the night, but considering she'd never once had a drink since he'd met her, and she'd just gotten out of work that was pretty much out of the question in his mind.

Taking a moment, Ville stopped walking, the theater only a few yards away and pulled the American woman to a stop with him. Pulling her body into his own, Ville's hips melded perfectly with Micheal-ann's and he smiled sweetly down at her innocent blank face who watched him with nothing but trust.

"What's on your mind?" Micheal-ann grinned and stood on her tip toe's to plant a small kiss on the tip of his nose and shook her head.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Absolutely nothing you say? I would think you would have said something cute like 'of course only you Ville.' But its alright, you don't have to fluff my ego, I can handle the rejection" The playful tone Ville gave entranced Micheal-ann all over again and she leaned her entire weight into the thin man, her chin rested on the very center of his chest and said with all the interest as she might give the weather.

"_Minä mennä naimisiin te._" The Finnish was absolutely terrible, and lacked any real roll of the tongue that might have given it a semblance of another language other than gibberish. Ville didn't need any roll of the tongue, hell he didn't give a damn how bad the Finnish was, he only cared about the words he could make out within the horrible accent.

"You're kidding?" Disbelief dripped from his words as his arms tightened around Micheal-ann who continued to look at him with a star struck expression, and she merely bit her lip, giggled like a school girl and shook her head.

Ville looked around the area they stood in, and mesmerized everything he possibly could.

The theatre had just turned the lights for its sign, reading in Finnish that the children's movie '_Sekainen'_ was playing that night. A small blonde girl was tugging on her father's hand pointing at the lights a sucker protruding from her mouth, as a tall female followed after them a smile on her lips. There was a green hybrid that beeped its horn, the driver shouting to the teenager who'd just climbed out that he'd forgotten his scarf, making the teen who'd just said hello to his date to turn bright red. An elderly couple watched the teen's with a soft smile as they made their way into the theater doors, the man holding the door watching his woman with softness in his expression that Ville understood all to well.

Bringing his reality back to Micheal-ann who'd made no other movements since her head shake, Ville began to laugh, and gathering the woman's body in his arm picked her up from the ground and twirled her around once before dipping her towards the floor and kissing her passionately.

The kiss was completely reminiscent of the first they'd shared, and with it immediately sparked the dazed Micheal-ann's hormones as she clung to Ville as if he were her life line.

They hadn't done anything sexual since their second encounter at Ville's home, and until now, she hadn't even thought of it. Micheal-ann had honestly been so content with just having Ville's presence around, her hormones had stayed in check, but now, with her emotional day, and this emotional moment, she was putty and more than ready to catch a cab right back to Alexandra's apartment. Blissfully her cousin had work tonight.

Cat calls began to sounds, as well as whistles as Ville tasted the lips he'd missed for nearly an entire day, as every sense he possessed became over run by Micheal.

Micheal-ann's arms ran down his back, and Ville nearly choked on her tongue when she squeezed his arse with no hesitation what's so ever, red sunflowers and all. Pulling away from her lips, Ville stood them up right, and with it the small crowd that had been watching the show of affection began to clap.

Ville reluctantly pulled away from Micheal sliding his hand into her free hand and motioned to her with his other yelling out with a smile.

"_Hän suostui naimisiin minua! Sulhaseni!"_ At his words the crowd began to cheer louder and Ville tugged the American into him once again before planting another passionate peck on her lips.

Although she couldn't understand a darn thing Ville said, Micheal-ann had an inkling as she blushed at the strangers cheering for her. Ville pulled her to him again kissing her once before murmuring against her lips.

"Where'd you learn to speak Finnish?"

"Google."

"You're absolutely terrible at it." Her loud laugh was masked by Ville capturing her lips again. The cheering now had ebbed away as the crowd dispersed the initial excitement for the complete strangers gone as they left the lovers to themselves.

Micheal-ann felt a small bit of sense return to her as she glanced in her peripheral to the street, before turning her attention back to Ville.

"Well, Alexandra is working tonight."

"There's no need to repeat the fact twice, we are already heading to the apartment in spirit. Our bodies need to make up the distance is all."

Micheal-ann grinned impishly as he dragged both of them to the edge of the street waving a hand towards any and all cabs with no luck. Pulling away slightly Micheal-ann made the same movement and within a few moments, a cab had pulled up alongside them.

With a moment's hesitation Ville plowed inside of the cab, Micheal-ann in tow, and declared loudly to the cabbie.

"To my orgasm please."

* * *

><p>Alexandra rested her chin against the palm of her hand, and blew a raspberry. She'd been at work for nearly five hours now, and she was already tired of the smoke and thick gin smell that was attacking each and every one of her senses.<p>

She would have rather been hearing what had happened with her cousin's first day, as well as the reason as to why Ville Valo had shown up to her apartment in the afternoon inquiring as to where Micheal-ann was studying at exactly.

A grunt caught Alexandra's attention, as one of the regular bar patrons a few seats off, pointed to his empty saucer. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey from underneath the bar space, Alex stalked over to the nearly obliterated man and filled the saucer to the brim, to his delight.

"_Kiitos."_

_"Ei Ongelma._" Placing the bottle back in its spot, Alex gathered a rag and began to clean the bar where no one now sat her thoughts jumbled.

Alexandra had always been okay with being alone, and she'd seen so many broken hearts and promises working as a bartender, she hadn't needed to feel it for herself.

In their family, Micheal-ann's story had been used as warning for the Welsh females to the trechury of men, and when her infamous cousin had called her to tell her she'd be coming out to Finland, she honestly hadn't known what to expect.

Of course she'd met her cousin before, had spoken to her several times before and had kept in touch with her, but never to the extent where she'd been comfortable asking her what had really happened to her, and still to this day hadn't gotten the balls of out right ask.

The gist of what her mother had waggled her finger at her with, was horrifying enough, and it made her immensely sad for her cousin, as well as protective now that she was in her care.

The younger woman had suffered enough, and although Alexandra would never admit it, she was scared for Micheal-ann.

When her cousin had come over from America she'd never expected the woman to ever, NEVER, have some fling with a stranger, let alone a huge celebrity of Finland. The moment she'd heard that her cousin had had sex with Ville in the very sex shop across from her house that the man's father owned, she had felt panic set in her chest.

She felt panic for Micheal-ann and couldn't understand why her cousin was doing something so destructive. If it had been Alexandra, she'd have sworn off any human contact. Hell she'd assumed since Micheal-ann was so enthralled in her work, becoming so successful at such a young age that she'd done just that.

And when Ville had asked Micheal-ann to marry him at dinner, Alexandra had nearly lost her gasket.

They had no business whats so ever getting married. She didn't know Ville, and what she did know about him from the several articles written about him and his model ex-girlfriend she'd never took him for anything but an imperious drunk, and her cousin deserved the best that the world could provide her.

Shaking her head at the foolishness of the situation, Alexandra threw the rag to the floor, where the bust boy would grab it soon. Stepping back to grab the remote for the small television situated above the back of the bar, she leaned her elbows against the wood and slowly pressed the button to change channels.

The bar was relatively slow, Monday usually the slowest day, as a handful of about six men ranged from the bar to the small tables littered haphazardly around the bar. None of them cognizant or caring enough to make any sounds of dis content as she searched through the Finnish television.

She didn't bother to spend more than a few moments on each until an image caught her attention immediately. It was of the very cousin she'd just been thinking of, her head buried within Ville Valo's lap, as a succession of photo's evolved the scene to show her sitting up, standing up, kissing Ville and rushing out of the pub that the pictures were shot from the outside.

The gossip columnist on the television ran her mouth about things she didn't know, as well as trash about Alexandra's cousin, and she instantly felt bile rise in her throat.

She should have known that Micheal-ann would be dragged into filth like this sooner or later, but it irked her all the same as she gripped the channel changer so hard she could hear the plastic begin to crack underneath her fingers.

" _Taidan puhua varten muovia, kun sanon se todella doesnt kuin olisi manhandled niin.."_ The words were spoken matter of factly and instantly claimed Alexandra's wrath as she whirled around to pin the red head with a death glare snapping in English.

"Oh, go piss in a hole asshole."

"I can't consider that an insult considering I am a male, and my appendage allows me to do so with ease." Alexandra's mouth dropped in surprise as the re head rebutted her insult, with the same matter of fact tone, before lifting his light ale to his mouth watching the TV where her cousin's face had been enlarged to a a disgusting width.

Alex was absolutely flabbergasted, she'd never once had baan caught when she'd insulted the bar patrons in English considering most of them were poor sots who hardly knew their own Finnish.

She thought of groveling for a moment, just in case the red head would go to the bar owner, but then decided against it. Even if he'd taken offense to it, she couldn't bring her pride to sink low enough to take it back.

"Well that is a first."

"A first in that I can speak English, or the ease I have of pissing in a hole?" Alexandra cocked her head, interested instantly in the thin, pale man who's tone still remained even as he set his glass down licking his lips, his arms cross his elbow supporting his weight against the bar.

"I would say both, but who'd know the invitation you might take from it." The man chuckled before motioning towards the screen finally pulling his green eyes away from the picture to look straight at Alexandra.

"Do you know her?"

Alexandra nodded slowly, now unsure of whom exactly the man was, knowing that often reporters came in guises in an attempt to gain a conference with those close to gossip target.

"Me to, she joined my team today at HU. Who knew she'd been distracted all day because of this joke of a rock star?" His tone changed from matter fact to disgusted as he picked his glass from the counter taking a swig, staring into the bubbling remnants with a cross look on his face.

Alexandra didnt believe in coincidences and slowly stood up moving in front of the man, and offered her palm.

"Alexandra Welsh"

"Hannu Tähti"

Glancing back at the television screen that now showed a picture of Ville and his ex-girlfriend Alexandra had an idea slid into her head and a sly smile formed on her face as she leaned against the bar, her own voice turning matter of fact as Hannu watched her with a new interest.

"I believe you and I have the same problem here."

"And that is?"

Alexandra grabbed the remote once again and aimed it towards the television to increase the volume as the woman's voice jabbered louder, and she pointed towards the new picture of her cousin and Ville speaking outside of the pub from the earlier pictures.

"Ville Valo."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Minä mennä naimisiin te –<strong>_ I'll marry you.

_**Sekainen**_ – Tangled

_**Hän suostui naimisiin minua! Sulhaseni!**_ - She agreed to marry me! My fiance!

_**Kiitos**__** –**_ Thanks.

_**Ei**__**ongelma**_ – No problem.

_**Taidan puhua varten muovia, kun sanon se todella doesnt kuin olisi manhandled niin**_- I think I speak for the plastic, when I say it really doesn't like to be manhandled like that.


	12. Help For Two

"_Ville! Ville! __Odota__hetki__poikani__!"_ Ville could have ripped his hair out when he heard his father's voice and the laugh of Bam as he and Alexandra climbed out of the cabin front of Alexandra's building.. and his fathers sex shop.

"From this moment on, your moving into my tower." His voice was low, completely reminiscent of a growl, and had Micheal-ann not been so riled up herself to be annoyed, she'd have laugh.

Bam, who'd come to the sex shop nearly an hour before, did not expect his friend and the girl who'd left him cold turkey at the cafe to show up, let alone climb out of a cab to pin him with the coldest glares they could possibly possess. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards the beautiful brunette that slowly closed the cab door, gripping her satchel strap with both hands her eyes disappointed.

He'd come here to hang out with one of his favorite people in the world, his pea to his pod, expecting to find the stupid rumors of a fiance a complete hoax in the same way they'd taken Bam's ring he'd given to Ville to mean he was engaged as well. But to come out here and find out it was true, he didn't exactly know what to do.

It was like he was going to lose one of his best friends all over again, first to his becoming sober, and now to this woman. Hell the man didn't even smoke any longer, what the hell was he going to do with Ville now, sit around drinking tea all day everyday?

He loved Ville, he did, but he'd become a hermit and it hurt his feelings slightly to find that this girl he'd barely known for little over a week could draw him out of his tower for days at a time with nothing more than a few words, while it took Bam hours to console him into going to get something to eat even.

Bam was losing the battle with himself, and he needed Ville right now to help him through. His idol had won the very same battle, pulling himself away from the self destructive ways he'd adopted, facilitated by Bam himself, and was creating a better life. He on the other hand, was screwing up his life, screwing up his marriage to a wonderful woman who constantly put up with his shit, throwing away his career with his crazy antics and constant fights. Bam was killing himself, and he'd come to Finland as a last resort.

Even now he was drowning, as his system begged for a drink, begged for anything to calm the shaking he was trying so hard to hide.

Ville glanced to the building that held privacy, where he could ravish his betrothed and not have to worry about a damn thing. For once in his life, there was nothing going wrong, nothing getting in the way of his happiness and he felt higher than any drink, any drug had ever made him.

Turning away from the building, Ville caught the lost look of despair beneath Bam's visage as he stood from where he had been leaning on the Thai restaurants chairs, moving forward with Ville's father in the lead.

Glancing to Micheal-ann, Ville felt the first true decision he'd had to make in a long time. He wanted to stay with her, not just to have sex, but to take her and get her a proper engagement ring, to show how serious he was about her saying yes. On the other hand, he'd never seen Bam with such desperation in his demeanor, having completely ignored the fact last night. His friend needed him, but it scared him half to death that if he left to console Bam, that she'd think he didnt care and rescind her acceptance.

Micheal sighed and shoved her hands into the stitched pockets of the leather pants, and didn't even bother to let the circumstance bring her down as she smiled widely at Kari.

"Haloo, " Ville's father smiled widely, and although he didn't know perfect English, he understood Micheal with clarity, and even if he didn't he wouldn't have a problem liking the American woman.

"Haloo Mikel! Come to get to use on my son?" His accent was thick, but Micheal-ann could hear the playfulness behind his tone. She still couldn't help blushing wildly considering it wasn't normal to her for the father of someone she was with, to be so open about having sex.

It also made it very evident why sex was something that Ville was not nervous nor bashful about, in fact he was more open than anyone she'd met.

"Noooo, remember , I live across the street!" Micheal-ann turned around to point to the windows that were Alexandra's apartment, and with it found Ville biting his lip, a worried expression marring his face. Instantly dropping her hand, Micheal-ann turned away from papa Valo, and moved towards Ville the cab that had been between them, long gone.

When he looked up at her, she felt her heart tighten and tears instantly rush to her eyes. He was going to let her down right now. He was going to tell her he really was joking about marrying her, and that he had better things to do than take care of her. Ville was going to pick anything and anyone other than her.

Micheal-ann hated the familiar feeling of pain that sunk to the bottom of her very stomach but refused to be the blubbering trusting idiot she'd been last time. She'd never be that niave and weak again, and with it took a step back from Ville and waited for the blow forcing her tears away.

"I'm going to go with Bam for a bit." The line was delivered beautifully, with remorse and sadness hanging expertly from every word Micheal-ann realized with bitterness.

Ville watched as Micheal-ann's entire demeanor changed and didn't waste any time as he strode forward in the clear street wrapping his arms around her, shoving her body so hard into his own that he lost his breath for a moment.

Pushing through his lack of breath, Ville caught her lips numbing both of them quickly and pulled away, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"He needs me right now, but I want you to go with my father to look at rings. I promise when we are through, we'll rush right over where I will get you anything and everything you want. It's only for a bit."

Micheal-ann felt stupid. Plain and simple, she wanted to smack herself in the face. She should have known better than to let her mind run wild like that, and it was dumb of her to project her own fear onto someone who was completely unawares of her past.

Ville wasn't Adam, and she had to get over the fact that she wasn't seventeen anymore.

Micheal-ann pushed Ville's chest as she laughed merrily, her entire demeanor changing back to the one she'd just worn in the cab and it soother Ville instantly. Prancing away from the younger Valo, Micheal-ann wrapped her arms around Kari's shoulders and stuck her tounge out at Ville.

"You sound worried, my dear. Thinking im going to change my mind?" Ville grinned and didn't even bother to answer as he moved past his father and future wife to the unusually silent Bam. Sliding an arm around the shorter man's shoulders, Ville turned them both around and walked them into the Thai resteraunt with nothing more than a matter of fact mumble.

"I recall that you liked Thai food Bamio."

Kari watched the exchange between his son, and the woman who had him wound up and smiled slowly.

He didn't need to know English to understand what was happening right in front of him. Love was a universal language that Kari knew, and he knew this kind of love better than anyone in the entire world. He had always been a calm soul, that let things be as they were relying more on karma, than anything else. When he'd seen his wife, Ville's mother, she'd gotten between a small boy and his father after the man had slapped the boy hard enough to send him to the floor.

She was loud, aggressive, and constantly differed into different emotional realms. She was temperamental and extremely spiritual and Kari had spent many nights outside her small building asking anyone if they knew her and could they please tell her that he was waiting for her outside. He'd nearly gotten shot by her father who had come out on more than one occasion to run him off.

She'd refused for an entire month to even go out on one date with him, and once she finally agreed, it took him six years until she married him. Even when they'd found out she was pregnant with Ville she'd refused to marry him, saying that just because it was his son didn't mean she was his.

To this day Kari's wife often left for months at a time, such as at that moment, to visit stone henge and other spiritual places living wildly. Kari never had felt that urge to leave, he loved Helsinki with all of its depressing cold days, and had never dreamed of hindering his wife's passion. He trusted her without any hesitation, and her wildness made him still love her with every bone in his body.

At the end of the day, she always returned to him, with stories of adventures and excitement. But for all of her adventures and constant wandering, she would readily admit that the greatest one of all had been her love for Kari, and their two sons Ville and Jesse.

That was the love Kari saw in his son, and it made him warm with the thought.

Sadly he had known from the moment Ville introduced him to Joanna, almost an entire year they'd been together, that no matter the time they spent with each other it wasn't going to last. It wasn't his place to tell his son this, and so sat back and let Ville make his own decisions and mistakes, forcing him to learn on his own.

Micheal-ann motioned to a cab that was passing, that immediately screeched to a halt and tugged at the older man's arm.

"Well , I can't speak Finnish very well, so you will have to be our translator. Were looking for a jewelry store." Kari began to laugh joyously, as he bobbed his head enthusiastically, pulling them towards the cab with a jolt and strength that surprised Micheal immensely.

"So you say yes then? Good, good! We pick you the best in town!" His excitement only fueled Micheal-ann's decision as she climbed in the cab, Kari climbing in after her slamming the door speaking in rushed Finnish,

" _Vie meidät Kalevala, meidän on löydettävä soi varten minun tulevan miniänsä!"_ The cabbie immediately set the car into drive and Micheal-ann looked over Kari's head just in time to see Ville and Bam sit in a window seat, before the car pulled away.

Making himself completely comfortable before diving into the problem, Ville rested his back against the window of the booth, crossing his legs, resting his elbows against the table and then sighed softly.

"What do we need to do Brandon?" Bam waited for a few more precious moments, moments were his life seemed wonderful, moments where he was a rock star to millions of young kids, and an object of lust for hundreds of woman. Moments were his world wasn't falling apart before he leaned back against the booth, took a deep breath, and burst into messy tears.

He should feel ashamed that he was crying, he was supposed to be stronger than this, and wanted to be if only because he was in front of his idol, but he couldn't. He couldn't pretend anymore.

Ville waited patiently as Bam began to cry, completely understanding the pain that was tearing through him. They'd been in this same exact spot five years earlier, only that their roles were reversed and it had been Bam watching him cry into a saucer of whiskey.

Bam whipped at his face, the action futile as more tears rushed past his fingers tracing new lines down his weather worn face. It felt good, in fact it felt amazing as tears practically forced themselves out of his eyes revealing all of the pressure that had bottled inside him.

Slowly gathering himself enough to look up at the man across from him, that looked at him with nothing but friendliness and acceptance, Bam uttered a simple sentence which was the first step to repairing himself, to saving himself.

"I need help."

Ville motioned towards the small man who lounged behind a serving desk, mouthing to him that they'd need a pot of tea, and turned back to the crying man, and reached across the table to grasp one of Brandon's hands with his own.

"All you had to do was ask, now im going to help you through this. Your not alone, you never were."

The shop that Kari brought them to from the outside looked like a simple shop that she'd most likely pass up very easily as another useless waste of space, but the moment Micheal-ann stepped inside she was lost for words.

Inside, the entire building was spacious and open, the walls painted a pearly blue that was so light could be confused with an off white. The two row of counters were filled with hundreds of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings that shimmered from every angle you'd think to stand in. The delicate woman behind the glass was just as equally stunning with soft lines outlining her mouth and the corners of her eyes. Her hair fell to her shoulders in ringlets of gray, equally gray eyes warm and inviting. In her day, she'd been gorgeous and age had only added majesty.

The woman leaned across the counter and flashed a welcoming smile to them both, before speaking in the cheeriest Finnish she'd ever heard.

"_Haloo__! __miten__voin__auttaa__sinua__tänään__?"_ Micheal-ann instantly smiled as she couldn't stop staring at the beautiful cases filled with the gorgeous jewelry, and had no hesitation when Kari wrapped his arm around her shoulders and shook her gesturing to her for the woman.

"_Hän tarvitsee valita kihlasormus, koska hän suostui naimisiin poikani_!" The older woman laughed in excitement and clapped her hands gibbering as she grabbed a set of keys, opening a few of the cases, and began to pull platform after platform full of the most beautiful rings she'd ever seen.

"_Onnittelut__! __Voi__kuinka__innoissani__sinun__täytyy__olla__! __Se__tuntuu aivan__eilen__mieheni__pyysi__minua__. __Voi__meidän__on__löytää__täydellinen__rengas__!"_ Kari motioned for Micheal-ann to move forward, as he and the woman began to chat excitedly back and forth in Finnish.

Micheal-ann didn't even try or attempt to focus on what they were saying as she ever so slowly moved to the case staring in wonder at the rings.

Just this morning she'd been receiving insult after insult from Finnish people, and now here they were treating her so friendly. The same thought was present in that this morning she'd woken up single, not even a pronounced relationship with anyone and now she had agreed to marry a man she'd known for a week.

What's the difference between a week and twenty? If she hadn't felt this strong at first, she wouldn't feel it later on either. Micheal had seen people at their worst and she wanted to believe they were all good, but knew better. In doing this she was giving up trying to protect herself from everyone and anyone, letting go of her fear of letting anyone else in.

_If your ganna go, might as well go big_, she thought bemused as she raised a hand to hover over one of the small platforms of rings.

She was engaged. Someone had asked her to be theirs, a man wanted her to be his and wasn't worried about what anyone else would think. And here that man's father was standing by her, excited for his son to marry her.

Her thoughts overwhelmed her, and with it, Micheal-ann slowly lowered one hand pulling one of the gold bands, with a small emerald set in its band slipping it onto her wedding finger.

The band was huge, and didn't fit at all but Micheal raised her hand anyway staring at the gold hanging about her fingers, took one short breath and burst into tears.

Kari and the sale's woman stopped speaking amongst themselves as they stared at the small woman crying over the expensive engagement bands. They glanced at each other unsure of what to do. Kari had just been singing the brunette's praises and how excited he was that his son had finally found the other half he'd been singing about for years, and now here the woman in question who he'd expect to be jumping for joy, was instead sobbing.

He had seen the pain before behind her eyes, whenever Ville wasn't looking at her, she'd watch him with fear, and hope present and he'd pushed the thought of those emotions away assuming it had to do with his proposal or something similar, and now he was just confused.

Micheal could feel the two older folks staring at her and she wanted so badly to explain herself, to stop her crying and assure them she'd been thinking of something legitly saddening like a dead puppy, but couldn't.

Pulling the band from her finger, she placed it gingerly back onto the platform, a hiccup interrupting her crying as she placed the back of her hand against her nose closing her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

It took several minutes before she could breath again without hiccuping and when she opened her eyes, she found she was alone. Glancing about, she hadn't even noticed that Kari and the sales woman had gone outside, standing right outside the windows chatting uneasily between themselves.

Micheal-ann felt foolish and scrubbed her palms against her burning cheeks mumbling to herself.

"Stupid. That was really stupid. Watch he's going to tell his son to run as fast as he can from the crazy American!" Micheal wouldn't even be able to fault him if he did, because she must have looked insane crying over a ring. Feeling a little better after the cry, Micheal-ann rolled her shoulders, scratched at her neck where the salt from her tears had irked her skin and once again faced the window.

She nearly gasped when she found Kari hugging his son to him before motioning behind him, towards her in the store.

Ville's eyes grew wide, and worried as he physically moved his father out of his way to go into the store and his gaze immediately met her own. He didn't bother with niceties as he shoved the door open striding in with such urgency she felt angry at herself that her little episode had worried everyone.

He stopped right before her and she gave him the smallest smile, before gesticulating a bit exaggerated.

"Well this was a little dumb."

"If your upset, that is not something I consider dumb. In fact that's a top priority." The earnest with which he spoke the words made Micheal-ann feel like a monster and she slowly nodded thinking through what her next move was.

Sighing heavily, Micheal-ann reached forward and grabbed one of Ville's hands moving past him towards the door. He followed without hesitation as she pulled them out of the jewelry shop, where his father merely watched them, and the sales woman returned into her shop her eyes wide with surprise.

Micheal was thankful that Ville didn't try to speak as he simply fell into step at her side waiting for her to speak. She bit her lip and as they walked came upon a small open cafe with seats.

Still without speaking Micheal-ann sat at on the tables, and when she opened her grasp to let Ville's hand go, his own grip tightened. Grabbing the chair from the side of the table, Ville placed it right beside her own, watching her carefully.

Dusk had settled over Helsinki, as more people began to move about the streets with their own lives. Micheal-ann watched them and wished she could change places with them for this moment, so that after she wouldn't have to see Ville's expression. She didn't want to see the disgust in his eyes, not from Ville, but she owed it to him with his proposal to know her past.

Taking the jump from the cliff, Micheal-ann's eyes locked onto a small boy that bobbed on his father's shoulder past and slowly began.

"There's something you should know that happened when I was seventeen."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Odota<strong>__**hetki**__**poikani**_– Wait a moment my son

_**Vie meidät Kalevala, meidän on löydettävä soi varten minun tulevan miniänsä**_**!** - Take us to Kalevala, we must find a ring for my future daughter in law!

_**Haloo**__**! **__**Miten**__**voin**__**auttaa**__**sinua**__**tänään**_? – Hello! How can i help you today?

_**Hän tarvitsee valita kihlasormus, koska hän suostui naimisiin poikani**_! - She needs to choose an engagement ring, because she agreed to marry my son!

_**O**__**nnittelut**__**! **__**Voi**__**kuinka**__**innoissani**__**sinun**__**täytyy**__**olla**__**! **__**Se**__**tuntuu aivan**__**eilen**__**mieheni**__**pyysi**__**minua**__**. **__**Voi**__**meidän**__**on**__**löytää**__**täydellinen**__**rengas**__**!**_- Congratulations! Oh, how excited you must be! It feels like just yesterday my husband asked me to. Oh, we have to find the perfect ring!


	13. Michealann's Story

Five Years Earlier

Micheal-ann was silent as she watched her boyfriend Adam Daniels, his eyes closed, his breathing heavy. He'd just finished, flopping beside her, and she was almost thankful for the moment of silence and calm.

Adam was handsome in a very awkward way, and sadly there had been times when Micheal had looked at him and was put off by his facial features. With long straight blonde hair that touched his shoulders, and crystal blue eyes, thin lips and a hooked nose, his body was awkwardly thin with muscles that looked out of place.

Being the kicker for the football team, he hadn't need to work out as extensively as the rest of the players, so he only had small curves where he had gained a bit of muscle. His arms were longer than his torso, giving him an ape look, and his feet were humongous. No matter how awkward Adam looked, Micheal-ann absolutely loved him.

He'd been her boyfriend for six months now, and she couldn't even remember her life without him.

She'd known him longer than that, but because he was the little brother of her best friend's boyfriend it had taken them longer to get together and even then, their relationship was a complete secret.

His family was like her family, she spent six nights out of the weeks seven at their house, helping cook, clean, and even helping the youngest Daniel's brother, Noah with his homework.

Her own family was so beyond broken, she clung to the Daniels with all her might doing anything they asked of her, and in that Adam had convinced her to keep their relationship secret.

Adam had said that the moment his parent's found out about them, that she would no longer be able to sleep over and be over as much as she was. It had scared her to such a degree, she had immediately agreed with him, and from then, their relationship only grew.

She slept in his bed whenever she was over at the Daniels, and practically every waking moment she was with Adam. He spoke for her, and she honestly didn't mind knowing that he was just being manly like his father had drilled into his head. Micheal-ann loved the year younger boy, although shed never said it to him. He in fact was her first love. With every waking and sleeping moment together, her nightmares that she got constantly had all but disappeared, and she was content.

Micheal shifted on the bed, turning her naked body sideways, resting her head on her hand as she smiled softly when he opened his eyes to pin her with a blank look.

He stretched his arms up before mirroring her action turning to face her, smiling his own sated smile.

Micheal knew what she had to hear from him, at this moment more than ever and with a soft intake of breath smiled again and said softly with as much passion as she could muster.

"I love you Adam." Adam gave her a half smile before shrugging his shoulders and sitting up.

"Good." The impact of that one word tore through Micheal-ann like a hot knife through butter. She wanted to cry, to scream. Forcing herself to act non-chalant, Micheal slid from the bed to stand up, gathering her underwear off the ground of her bedroom and proceeded to pull it on.

"Well we better get dressed, I have a game in a bit and you have practice." Adam nodded at her words and followed suit getting dressed quickly.

They left her house in complete silence and as she drove them back to their high school where she was going to drop him off, he asked matter of factly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong Adam, I'm just worried about my game." He'd bought her excuse, enough to leave her be, and as she pulled up to the front of the school, he proceeding to climb out but before he closed the car door leaned in asking her.

"You know I do have feelings for you right?" It hurt to hear that, considering the extent she felt for him, as well as the entire situation that was now put into place.

"No I don't." His eyes had flamed in anger, but he knew he was going to be late. Glancing behind him he turned back to her and used his ever famous line on her.

"Micheal, you trust me right?" She didn't answer and he slammed his palm on the hood of her car asking again.

"You trust me right?" Micheal turned her head towards him and looked everywhere but his eyes and defeated answered him bitterly.

"Yes I trust you." The sad part was she did, she absolutely a hundred percent trusted him and anything he said.

Smiling in satisfaction, he blew her a kiss, slamming her car door shut. Pulling away from the curb, Micheal-ann drove the thirty minutes to her game in complete silence, tears falling from her eyes softly.

When she got to water polo game's venue, she still had ten minutes before she even had to begin to warm up, and couldn't help herself as she pulled her phone out of her gym bag texting Adam.

'Why wont you love me?'

She waited in complete breath taking silence as her team laughed and joked around her unaware as to how dire the situation of their teammate was. His reply had completely destroyed her entire world.

'I can't and wont let myself love you.'

It had been like a bullet, and she had spent the rest of her game, of her night in a horrified daze. In the morning, when he'd shown up where she hung out, she had some how found some footing, some power as she pulled him aside and gave him an ultimatum.

"There are three things that need to happen from here on. Two of them are dependent on this one. If you can't and wont love me, then tell me that right now to my face and we can end this here no harm, no foul, and you don't have to worry about the other two. If you think that can love me or do have those feelings, then these two things need to happen. One you need to tell your parents about us, and two you need to tell everyone else you know that I'm your girlfriend. Your new introduction should be 'Hi, my names Adam Daniels, and my girlfriend is Micheal-ann Welsh.' This is the end of any of the games."

Her resolve had been amazing, until the bell for class had rung and he ran off after uttering a 'I need more time.'.

That was answer enough for her, because if he'd asked her the same thing, she wouldn't have hesitated even a bit. The fact that he did, it was the answer she'd seeked, but never truly wanted.

She spent the rest of her day inside the student store where she worked, bawling her eyes out.

Adam had shown up after school, knowing where she'd be, and officially broke up with her, and on his way proceeded to call her other best friend a bitch to her face blaming her for their breakup.

Micheal-ann was shattered for several days after that and when his two brothers had come to see her, wondering why she hadn't come around she couldn't help herself and told his older brother Josh, and younger brother Noah that she loved their brother.

She told them she was sorry if her presence had caused any problems between all of them, Adam having said that because he was always with her his brothers had stopped trusting him, and told them to please be nicer to Adam and include him in whatever they were doing.

A party was being thrown that Friday at the student store, for the upcoming two week winter break, and Adam in an attempt to 'be friends' showed up to the party. She'd spent the entire hour he'd been there running into a back room, bawling for a few minutes and then returning to the fray laughing fakely with friends trying to show how fine she was without him.

That night he'd texted her and she completely broke down.

She'd done something that she had preached against her entire life, and she couldn't even bring herself to think of her dignity.

She'd begged him to stay with her. Begged him to reconsider, that if he cared for her at all to please stay with her and they'd work everything else. He had coldly told her no, no matter her pleading. Nothing she said could sway him.

She'd been driving as they'd talked and as they hung up, she had to pull over on the dark unlit road and cried for nearly an hour.

An hour of tears had felt like an eternity as she faced a fact that she'd known now for nearly a week.

Micheal-ann had to face that she was pregnant at seventeen, with a boys baby who didn't care enough about her to stay.

Upon realizing that, she texted Adam.

'I found out the day before I told you that I loved you, that I was pregnant. I'm only telling you this now, because you have the right to know. Your say in what happens from this moment on doesn't matter, you gave that up the moment I begged you and you told me you could not be with me anymore. I'm only telling you because it's the right thing to do.'

He'd called her back so quickly she could have gotten whiplash, and then proceeded to slowly plead with her, saying oh how he did want to be with her, he was just so stressed right now with trying to get this scholarship and his family but he wanted to be with her.

But if that was ever to happen, she'd have to get rid of the baby.

It was if the past couple days had been erased when she'd heard he would be with her again, and with little or no thought to the life growing within her immediately agreed.

She set up a date with Planned Parenthood the next day for an abortion, a day before she would go on vacation with her mother to Utah.

Adam asked that she not talk to him during the two weeks of vacation other than to let him know how the abortion went, because of course he couldn't go with her without his parents getting suspicious as to where he was. She had readily agreed, she would agree to anything he'd think to ask her just as long as he promised to be with her.

The morning of the abortion, she'd been getting ready to leave, when she really thought about what she was about to do. She'd actually thought about the repercussions of what she was about do and she'd had the first panic attack she'd ever had in her life.

She had lain across her floor, sobbing and trying to breath and she literally felt like she was drowning like she was going to die.

Finally when she'd come down from her episode, she'd missed her appointment and in fear texted Adam telling him that she indeed had gone and that everything was taken care of.

He'd texted her back a reminiscent 'good' and that was all for the entire day as she made plans to truly take care of the problem.

She had to get rid of the baby, she was seventeen, with perfect grades, a sport all four years of high school. She had to much going for her, with no means and absolutely no true ability to take care of a child at that point in time.

She couldn't put a child of her own in the foster care system either after having been through it herself when her parents had first divorced, both alcoholics and unable to take care of her.

Counseling herself alone, she made another appointment for after she got back from the trip to Utah, and no one would be the wiser. Everything would be fine, and she'd have Adam.

The night before her, her mother, grandmother, and halfbrother left to Utah, they'd gone out to pick up dinner, and upon coming back home found Adam and his parents waiting at her apartment door.

They'd all went inside, where Adam's parents in quick succession tore her down labeling her a whore and liar, the mother sneering that she couldn't keep her legs shut, and his father persecuting her for never telling them that her and their son had been together.

Then they'd flat out asked her if she had the abortion and she tried so hard to keep up the lie till they demanded proof and she'd had to relent.

His parent's had then brought out pregnancy tests that they'd bought themselves and forced her to take them.

Her family had sat back and allowed his family to tear her down, watching with cold eyes as she sobbed at their feet pleading with them that she'd never meant for anyone to get hurt, and to_ please_ put the blame on her and not Adam.

She took one of the two pregnancy tests and it had come out negative. She brought out the other test that had a positive, and now they contradicted themselves.

The entire time they attacked her, Adam sat silently between his mother and father, never saying a word, and never meeting her eyes as she frantically looked for him to help her. To stand by her, to save her.

His parents ended the night by them concluding with her mother than upon coming back from Utah they'd get a proper pregnancy test done at the doctors office, and stood up to leave.

Micheal-ann's entire being, soul and heart lay at her feet in shattered pieces, and yet she still stood and begged.

"Please now that you've heard everything, can I please talk to Adam alone for just a minute?"

"No, your not allowed to speak to him ever again."

"Please its just a minute! Please!" His parents had coldly brushed past her, placing themselves between her and Adam. Watching in tearful horror, she followed behind them and in doing so, finally made eye contact with Adam.

He merely shrugged his shoulders like before and scrunched up his mouth in a 'what yah ganna do' expression before walking out of her home as if it was nothing.

She'd sunk to the corridor floor, and cried herself to sleep there as her mother screamed and yelled persecuting her further.

The next morning she woke on the floor, and took the other pregnancy test they'd left.

The third test had come back positive, and with it, Micheal-ann became a void shell.

From the day she left, with the entire week and half she was up in Utah, she didn't eat.

She didn't move or do anything, she merely slept and when she awoke stared out the window at the snowing hills her expression blank.

She couldn't cry any longer, she was completely void of emotions except for the nagging feeling in the pit of her unfeeling stomach that something else was wrong.

Sure enough on her way back to California, her phone's service returned and she placed a call to her best friend that had been going out with Adam's older brother.

She'd answered with the most hostile tone she'd ever hear in her life.

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Tawny, you owe me this much after everything I've ever done for you. What's going on?"

"Adam told his parents, you raped him."

Tawny stopped speaking to her after that, and her entire world had been torn apart.

The date came around for her doctors appointment and the morning of, she woken up bleeding profusely her stomach in so much pain she'd screamed and cried begging for it to stop.

The doctor pronounced a miscarriage that day due to malnutrition and emotional stress.

Micheal-ann had dropped nearly twenty pounds in the short two week period. Her mother ended up kicking her out of the house, and Micheal-ann went to live with her father where she slept on the couch, listening to him and his hookers constantly for the last six months of her high school career.

Micheal-ann Welsh had been the only one who'd been protecting anyone else through out the entire situation. She had never truly thought of herself, and had let her blind love for a boy dictate her life. She'd gone from this loud, outspoken woman, to a shrinking unsure thing who let this younger person speak for her and let her feel stupid. She'd been taken advantage of from the very beginning and even when her world was shattering she had tried to save everyone else the pain.

She had never looked out for herself, and everyday she'd been reminded of her foolish trust as people she didn't even know called her whore and other names around school as the football player spread his vicious rumors.

Micheal was forced to be strong after her entire being had been killed.

She'd thrown her depression out the window, and coldly worked harder on her college applications and when she'd been given a full ride scholarship to Vassar had jumped at the chance to be across the country from California, away from the cesspool of filth that lived there using people for their own good with no regard as to whom they hurt.

Micheal had pulled together the few belongings she had, and the money she'd saved for her flight out and had left without a good bye to anyone, or remorse towards anything.

She'd escaped with a new life ahead of her, and she was a completely different person.

She'd been murdered that night she'd been told that her first love was claiming she'd raped him and since then had never let anyone else make her feel like she was lower than them, had never given anyone the chance.

Stronger, and ruthless she fought for every single thing she owned, and seventeen year old Micheal-ann Welsh sadly had to pay the price for it,


	14. A Little Late

Ville didn't say a damn thing as he listened to Micheal-ann, and didn't miss the fact that she not once looked at him. She told her story in a clipped tone, with only traces of anger that came and went with her words. When ever she paused and took a moment he merely squeezed her head urging her to keep going.

With every word she spoke, he felt his anger rise, pulsating underneath his skin leaving his entire body warm with the hum of it. He wanted so badly to curse and interject into her story, but kept himself at bay understanding easily that if he were to cut her off now, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to finish.

As she came to a close of her story, Ville looked at Micheal-ann, really looked at her and realized that she was absolutely amazing.

The fact that she could still be around human beings at all, after every single one she'd ever trusted and put faith into had hung her out to dry was absolutely amazing. He had never before felt like such a dope for feeling like he had it worse off than anyone in the world. Sure, his ex had smacked him about and he'd let her do it, refusing to hit a female, but here someone she'd loved, trusted had thrown her to the wolves to protect his own ass.

That was exactly what he'd done, Ville realized as he grinded his teeth his grip tightening on Micheal-ann's hand without him even paying attention.

This Adam had used Micheal, used her for her body placating him self, and when he'd gotten her into trouble, drug her out before the pack and let them feast on her carcass as she screamed for help.

He was disgusted, and furious that no one had helped, no one had stood by her side. She wasn't an adult, she was still a child and they'd roasted her alive as if she truly understood the choices she'd made.

Everyone had been so preoccupied with themselves; they couldn't even spare a miniscule amount of pity for her, wrapped up in their own self preservation

He wanted to board a plane to California in that moments, find the kid and pummel him for his cruelty. For his ability to sit there and watch as she cried in pain, calling for him to help her, help his child, and he'd done nothing.

Ville couldn't understand that. He truly couldn't wrap his head around that cruelty and felt the sorrow penetrate his soul so deep he felt his own eyes prick in sadness and disgust.

"You're hurting me Ville." Micheal's soft spoken words immediately brought him down from his own thoughts, and he released her hand as if it was poison, guilt trailing into him on top of his other emotions.

Micheal-ann still couldn't bring herself to look at Ville, couldn't face him now that she'd finally told the truth of what had happened between her and Adam Daniels. She had never before been able to bring herself to tell the entire story of her miscarriage as well as the rape she'd been accused of, and now that she had, she was afraid of what this person would think of her.

She had _wanted_ him to know though, she wanted him to understand how much this whole crazy thing, whatever it was called that she had with him, truly meant to her. How hard it was for Micheal to let go of the persecution she faced five years earlier to stand before him completely bare and trusting. She wanted Ville Valo to love her, truly, and without anything to use against her in the future.

Micheal-ann wanted him to leave her now, with everything she had bare so then at least she would know why, would be able to understand why and she wouldn't be surprised. This way he had a motive for his malice, for his persecution.

"Micheal-ann?" Her eyes focused harder on the passing people, pleading to every god she knew of and those she didn't that he would at least understand why she'd done what she'd done.

"Sweet, please look at me.." Ville reached to collect both of Micheal-ann's hands this time and held them softly waiting for her to turn on her own time. He wasn't about to try and force her and he could wait a million years if that's what she decided till she turned to him.

He didn't have to wait quite that long as Micheal slowly turned her body, to face Ville's chair, and her eyes were so strong and powerful that when she boldly looked him in the eye he nearly leaned back in his chair with the force of it.

Ville could tell by the openness within her gaze that she had fully prepared herself for him to make her a pariah once again, and for it he felt his heart swell and he slipped out of his chair, not close enough to her.

He squatted down before her, her legs between his own as he pulled one hand off of her own and placed his thumb on her chin tucking his fingers beneath her chin. Her expression didn't change at all and with her simple gaze, Ville couldn't have ever done what those animals had done to her, not in a million years.

"You are absolutely amazing. None of those people deserved your protection, and it shows how amazing a person you are, that the entire time you were being attacked you preached for others safety instead of your own. I'm truly sorry for what they did to you; you should have had someone to protect you. I just came a little late, but that won't ever happen again. Ever."

The sincerity with which he spoke was all she'd needed, let alone his words. She had wanted someone, anyone in the past five years to tell her that she was wronged, that she hadn't been the horrible person they'd almost fully convinced her she was. Micheal-ann realized that only Ville could have been that person and she closed her eyes as her eyes moistened and a tear fell with her closing eyes.

Ville used his calves to propel him forward and he kissed her cheek where her tear streaked down, catching it in its path. He slowly trailed kisses, to the bridge of her nose, her dimples, and finally to her lips leaving her limp in his presence.

Without pulling away from her lips, Ville stood in his awkward position and softly asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Can we pick a ring now, so I can marry you, and back up all my big talk?" Micheal-ann opened her eyes and with it kissed him again, a hint of desperation and need in her passion.

He let her go at her own pace as she nibbled his bottom lip, pulling away with his lip still between her teeth, impishly smiling when she released it.

"With all your big talk, it's going to take a lot more than marrying me." Ville laughed and stood helping her up, and with a playful move turned, squatting slightly motioning for her to climb onto his back.

Raising an eyebrow, Micheal-ann climbed on the chair she'd just been contemplating life on, and jumped like a big spider monkey to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders.

To Ville's credit he didn't even make a sound of discontent and he popped her up higher onto his back and began to walk steadily back towards where his father was most likely still waiting for them.

"Of course, there's going to be Ville Jr. and Ville Jr. Two to help me." Ville had been joking but after he'd spoke he got a smack right on his chest from Micheal-ann that actually made him choke on air for a moment.

"Oh my god Ville, we never went to get Plan-b." The fear that was laced throughout her voice just ignited Ville's anger even further as he squeezed her calves with the arms he held her legs up with.

"I'm marrying you. The next thing would be to have kids. We can have children, and I will claim and love them with my entire being." Even with his words, Micheal-ann stuffed her face into Ville's hair breathing in his scent of lily of the valley, her fear lacerating.

She was almost positive that through out her entire life, the fear of her discovering she was pregnant would haunt her no matter was situation she was in. As she thought of Ville's words she realized that if she was pregnant, she'd have to give up on her bioengineering dream. She'd no longer be able to save Simon, save any of the children and people unable to save them selves because of a stupid birth defect. Having children, marrying Ville was asking her to decide between her freedom, her ability to rely on herself and being completely connected to someone for her entire life, loyal to only them.

Micheal couldn't continue on that train of thought or she'd jump from Ville's back and run for the hills, trying to save herself. She couldn't do that either, her own sense of self preservation practically non existent. She would never sacrifice someone else's happiness for her own, and that put her in this position as she merely clung to Ville pleading with him silently to please do right by her.

"_Olemme palanneet, henkisesti ehjä ja valmis hakemaan yksi naurettavan kallista rengas!_ " Ville's father looked away from the beautiful older woman he'd bee speaking to, to pin his son with a questioning look before masking it quickly so that the bride to be on Ville's back had no time to notice.

Shaking his head subtly, Ville pranced over to the case that still had the ring platforms lined up on the glass and slowly let Micheal leg's go as she slipped to the ground.

Turning to face her, Ville splayed a hand over the jewels his smile once again wicked and suggestive.

"Pick any one you'd like, just know that the higher the price, the higher the price." Ville waggled his eyebrows, biting his lip drawing a laugh from his father who'd moved to stand on the opposite side of her.

Micheal's cheeks turned bright pink and the sale's woman who clearly didn't understand English simply smiled warmly again nodding her head as if she agreed.

Rolling her eyes Micheal shoved Ville's shoulder before returning the woman's smile and turning her attention back on the rings, this time with no breakdown in sight.

"_Hän hyvin outoa_ " Ville smiled at his father's off comment and crossed his arms over his chest watching her as a gleam of excitement finally reentered her eyes.

"_Se on täsmälleen siksi Pyysin häntä kanssani naimisiin _" Kari nodded in understanding as he moved around the American woman to place his arm around his shoulders, his hand squeezing Ville's neck comfortingly and Ville instantly felt his demeanor soften at his father's practically tangible love.

"_Jos lapsenlapseni puolestaan mitään kuten ulos meitä, im menossa on laittaa heidät pois niiden kurjuudesta. Ne on olla vain kuin hän, meidän ei tarvitse __masentunut Fin's __enää maailmassa._ "

"Mr. Valo and Mr. Valo, can you please stop talking about me in Finnish while I am right here?" Kari laughed and pointed a finger at her in disbelief.

"You don't speak no Finnish Mikel!"

"I don't have to, you Finnish are painfully obvious when your trying to be sneaky."

Both Valo's laughed as Micheal turned her full attention to the beautiful rings motioning to a ruby encrusted silver band.

"Let me guess, it'll cost me an arm and a leg?"

It was an entire hour later before Micheal-ann had chosen an engagement ring that absolutely took her breath away.

The band was thin and silver, with a vine like design that reached into the top where a gold scroll rested on the top of the band altogether holding a single karat diamond cut perfectly to refract any and all light it happened to be in.

She hadn't paid attention to the jeweler jargon that Ville had attempted to relay to her when the sale's woman had begun to explain, she'd been to wrapped up in the beauty and the symbolism of the ring to care. The ring was gorgeous and that's all she needed to know.

Micheal had literally walked out of the jewelry shop with her right hand in front of her, a goofy smile on her face as she let her self become entranced with the slivers of light that twinkled at her.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you'd like to just go on and marry the ring. It could pay for a good living for you that's for damn sure." Ville hadn't tried to look at the price of the rings, but like any man he couldn't help himself and had nearly choked at the price.

He could feed a whole third world country, hell maybe even a second world if there was such a thing. But he hadn't said a thing, because he'd told her to choose anything she wanted and if that was what she wanted, then who was he to tell her no. His girl deserved the best in the world.

Micheal chuckled and finally tore her gaze away from the ring to smile shyly at Ville, before holding up her ring to the level of her eyes before changing her voice to that of an anchor woman.

"Ville Valo of the band HIM, you seem to be engaged to this American nobody. What will you do now that you've agreed to enter into the last form of legal slavery?" Ville without a moment's hesitation raised a hand to rub at his chin as he masked a thinking expression.

He held it for a few moments before suddenly lunging to grab Micheal, throwing her over his shoulder, her head hanging dangerously close to his butt.

"I was thinking to finish what we had begun earlier honestly. Did I tell you how absolutely delicious you look in my leather?" Micheal-ann laughed and turned her head freeing an arm to wave at Kari who'd followed them out of the jewelry shop with nothing more than a smile.

"Good bye , See you soon."

"Don't say goodbye to my father woman when I'm speaking of sexing you up." Micheal laughed and gasped when he did a jumping move causing her to fall to his shoulder with a bit of air between them,

Micheal-ann didn't even bother to try and convince him to put her down. She rather liked being carried around as if she were delicate and if it pleased Ville then it killed two birds with one stone.

"Well Mr. Valo, how are we getting home?" Ville didn't even think that far as he continued to walk down the Finnish street, passing the small sitting area where'd she bared her soul to him, as people stared and whispered to themselves behind hands and behind their language.

"Now that is a topic of discussion my dear, what is home?"

"What ever do you mean?" Micheal-ann rested an elbow on one of Ville's shoulders resting her chin watching the lamp lit streets of Helsinki bustle. She was happy, content, and absolutely without any true thought.

"I mean, is home my tower in Munkkiniemi, or is home with Alexandra in sex shop alley?" He'd brought that up before, but Micheal-ann hadn't really given it any thought and it truly stumped her.

She had only been in Helsinki for three weeks now, so her bags hadn't been completely unpacked, her things still relatively neat and easily packable. On the other hand she wasn't exactly positive if she should just outright leave her cousin who'd opened her home up to her with out never truly being close to her, and beside it was a big step to move in with Ville.

_Your marrying him you dildo, how is anything a big step compared to that?_ She thought to herself with another realization of what exactly she was getting herself into.

All these things hadn't been on her mind when she'd said yes, and now they seemed painfully obvious, along with the fact that she had no idea what she was going to do when her exchange program ended. Stay in Helsinki and say fuck it to the rest of her years at Vassar. Or return to New York and have a long distance relationship with Ville.

Pushing that thought away, Micheal-ann asked Ville to see what he wanted to happen.

"Would you want me to move in?"

"That's a stupid question." Micheal-ann's hackles rose within seconds, as her body literally became like stone and Ville scrambled to fix his mistake.

"I mean, that's like asking me If I wouldn't want sex everyday, cause its like the same thing, comes hand in hand. And if I had a vote on that, it'd be hell yea, id love to have my own walking sexual partner in my area at all times. That's what I meant." His tone was so pathetically urgent that Micheal couldn't even bring herself to be mad as she began to laugh and shrugged her shoulders even though her see or tell she had.

"I guess I could move in with you, its not like I'm going to be bringing a house of things with me or anything."

Micheal-ann literally shrieked when Ville bounced his shoulder sending her body backwards, but before she even fell at all, he caught her, his arms wrapping around her middle plastering her body to his. He kissed her quickly before setting her down on her feet, pulling his cell phone from his side.

He pressed the fourth speed dial and waited for Mige to answer.

"_Haloo_?"

"Mige napata voit klo auton tavata minua isäni seksikauppa? "

"_Tässä on kyse Amerikan torttu olit lässytyksellä noin naimisiin kiinni_? "

"Yei"

"_Nähdään kolmeenkymmeneen_ "

Ville closed his phone shaking his head, holding it up to Micheal-ann, shaking it before shoving it back in his pocket all while scoffing.

"And people say this whole marriage thing is hard work."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Olemme palanneet, henkisesti ehjä ja valmis hakemaan yksi naurettavan kallista rengas<strong>__!_ -We are back, mentally intact and ready to pick a ridiculously expensive ring!

_**Hän hyvin outoa**_ – She is very strange

_**Se on täsmälleen siksi Pyysin häntä kanssani naimisiin**__ –_ It is exactly why I asked her to marry me.

_**Jos lapsenlapseni puolestaan mitään kuten ulos meitä, im menossa on laittaa heidät pois niiden kurjuudesta. Ne on olla vain kuin hän, meidän ei tarvitse **__**masentunut Fin's **__**enää maailmassa**__._ - If my grandchildren turn out anything like us, I'm going to have to put them out of their misery. They must be just like her, we do not need anymore depressed Fin's in the world.

_**Mige napata voit klo auton tavata minua isäni seksikauppa?**_ - Mige you can grab a car to meet me at my father's sex shop?

_**Tässä on kyse Amerikan torttu olit lässytyksellä noin naimisiin kiinni**_? - this is about the American Tart you were blabbering about getting married to?

_**Nähdään kolmeenkymmeneen**_ – See you in thirty.


	15. Nose Goes

**Author's Note:** Really quick, it _totalllyyy_ amazes me that people from all around the world, like the UK, Germany, and the freaking Netherlands (to name just a few), are reading this story. How awesome is technology in that you can do that? Thanks for reading by the way! Sorry for my blabbering, back to the story! - gianna.

* * *

><p>With a final wave towards Hannu, whom after spending her entire shift at the bar talking with her had then caught a cab with her, Alexandra shifted her apartment keys into her right hand her eyes drooping slightly.<p>

She'd never before indulged in alcohol while she was working, but seeing as it had been extremely slow and Hannu had insisted on buying her drinks as they talked, she'd eventually relented.

Hannu amused her, and she couldn't help but feel slightly better that he was one of the people that would help her watch over her cousin. Alexandra hadn't been one upped by many people before and she found it refreshing as he answered nearly everything with a joke, pun or epigram leaving her constantly on her toes.

Now that it was nearly five thirty, she was surprised that he'd stuck around so long considering her cousin had told her that she'd be getting up around that time from now on to leave for school.

Shaking her slightly clouded head, she hummed to herself leaning against the glass of the apartment buildings front door as she tried to figure out exactly which key would allow her entrance.

After a good couple minutes of decision making, Alexandra finally isolated the one key and gave a giggle of triumph as it slid into the lock with a click and she shoved the glass door open. Thankfully for her, it was pressure based so it only opened far enough for her to slip inside with out getting wacked as she stumbled through it.

The stairs to her level was a bit more of an adventure and took nearly ten minutes to ascend a single flight as each step sent a wave of equilibrium nausea.

Getting to her door she repeated the same actions with it that shed just done with its relative downstairs and upon swinging it open dropped her bag to the floor, as well as her keys to the floor. She kicked the door shut with a vicious bang, stalked to her room and flopped onto her bed as her head swam slowly.

Her bed spread was irresistibly warm and comfy and she would of gladly passed out in the darkness of her apartment had one thing not penetrated through her alcohol.

The apartment was dark except for the soft slivers of morning sunlight that had glanced through the half opened blinds, it was calm and silent, and blissfully warm because her cousin hadn't opened any windows yet.

Her cousin in fact hadn't done anything, because she couldn't hear the usual low hum of music and the tell tale sound of a shower, warming up for a few minutes before any human could climb in.

Nothing.

Alexandra felt off immediately her dulled senses spiking but she slowly raised her body. _She must have slept in by accident, _Alexandra thought slowly as she rested a hand against her forehead in an attempt to clear her thoughts. Standing through the haze she trudged out of her room, down the hall of her apartment and pushed open the door to Micheal-ann's room.

"Micheal, time to ge-" She wasn't there. In fact, nothing was there. All of her cousin's possessions, including the three posters she'd pinned up of John Mayer, Coldplay, and her favorite movie 'Teenage Dirtbag' were gone. The bed was perfectly made, the dresser's drawers slightly ajar showing that they'd been cleaned out. It was as if no one had lived their the night before.

Anger sobered Alexandra quicker than any coffee or bout of sleep could have as she turned stomping out to her living room looking for home phone.

Now a bit more cognizant she saw the sheet of paper hanging on the mirror that stood above the doorside table where she would have generally placed her bad and keys.

Stalking closer to the mirror, she rested her palms on the wood leaning closer to read the message her anger slowly growing with each moments.

'_Alex,_

_Sorry I didn't call you at work but this was kind of last minute! I'm going to stay with Ville for now in Munkemi, or however you spell it. We'll come everyday after school though! I promise I'll make it up to you that I didn't call and warn you right off, to be honest, I forgot the bar's number and I know you didn't take your cell phone! Please don't be mad, and tomorrow I will make it up! Thank you, I'll call your cell later!_

_I love you!_

_- Micheal-ann'_

Alexandra's grip tightened as she growled shaking the small table her anger capping.

"**Son of a bitch**! That famous son of a bitch!"

* * *

><p>"So, wait where is he now? Did you leave him to come to me?"<p>

Micheal-ann raised her head from where her chin rested on Ville's bare chest and pinned him with an exasperated glare. He'd woken her a good hour ago claiming that it'd been five, and considering she had to be at FIMM at seven thirty she was content to take her time, and arrive there at the very last minute.

The less time spent with the people who hated her, and more with Ville was just fine by her.

They'd laid talking the entire time she'd been awake and he'd just been telling her why she hadn't seen Brandon since she'd caught the cab with Kari to the jewelry shop.

Ville pinned her with a hurt look, and she blushed bashfully as she returned her chin to its spot her hands folded on his stomach, her body parallel to his own, one of her legs tucked between his. It was calm and comforting as they simply talked, neither even aware that the other was completely naked.

The entire night had been spent having sex, and making love on almost every inch of the entire house. She'd been given the tour of Ville's entire tower with him in her, breathing hard, sweating and sliding across any surface that they possibly could and it had been one of the most peculiar things that Micheal-ann had ever encountered.

It was like 'Well hears my den, and here's my mannequin I've had for nearly fifteen years. Now let's fuck on the carpet, which is Russian might I add.'.

Her stuff still sat piled on the first landing near the door, as it took them till nearly three to finally make it to the bed where exhausted they'd simply fallen together and Micheal-ann had fallen asleep in seconds.

And although she was running now on hardly any sleep for two days she felt extremely refreshed after her hour nap, and hated the idea that in a few minutes she'd need to get up to shower and head over to the university.

Ville's arms were folded behind his head as he looked down at Micheal-ann, having not slept at all. He'd spent the last hour simply watching her as she jerked in her sleep, whimpering and had tried his best to keep from waking her up.

She had needed to sleep, and he was starting to realize that this was normal for her, considering every night they'd spent together she'd had nightmares that had made her jerk and fight in her sleep.

Waking her would do nothing but limit her sleep, and it made him feel horrible that even in sleep she couldn't find peace.

He liked to think as she looked up at him her eyes beautiful and trusting, that in moments such as these he could give her that small sense of peace, and if not he'd keep trying to find any way he could.

"No, the main point of an intervention is to let the person know that their not alone, that they have a support system and to accept that they have a problem. Brandon had already done all of that, he just needed to push in the right direction. I called my sponsor who immediately came down, and from there took a Taxi with them to the hotel, gathered his stuff, took him to the Helsinki airport, and paid for both of their fares to palm springs."

Micheal-ann shook her head her, amazed at Ville.

"That's insanely expensive!"

"He needs help, who am I to fret over something like money when a friend is in pain?" Micheal-ann scoffed and pinched Ville's stomach and he didn't even flinch as she stuck her tongue out at him saying matter of factly.

"Calm down cowboy, I didn't say I wouldn't do that either. I'm just pointing out that, it is in fact, a lot of money."

"Says the woman with the small fortune on her right hand." Instinctively Micheal-ann rolled her hand up hiding the ring away from either of there gazes as she blushed further. She wanted so horribly to feel bad that her ring had cost so much money, but she was like every other girl in the sense that it was the ring she'd wanted, no matter the cost. The fact that he'd agreed and hadn't said a word to her about it handing over a card without even a glance at the price at the time, it'd amazed her and made her giddy.

He'd done it to make her happy, and she would never go after him about it ever.

"Shut up." Ville laughed and pulled one arm from behind his head to reach and run a hand over her hair and trailing to her cheek. As he did, Micheal-ann turned and gave his palm a soft kiss that sent chills through out his entire body.

As he continued to caress her cheek, Micheal-ann unfurled her hand and began to trace the woman's face on his chest.

"Why did you go into rehab?" As sad as it sounded Ville had never truly felt ashamed of having been an alcoholic as well as being addicted to a few other substances until that moment. Not because he didn't want her to judge him, but because he was ashamed of himself for not being strong enough to deal with his own problems like her. For not being able to be strong and work through the pain rather than let it eat him up inside.

Playing with one of her curls between his fingers Ville coughed once and shrugged into his sheets.

"It was either I check myself in, or run the risk of heart failure. I may have been a depressed sot, but I didn't want to die. There was to much I could think to live for. Entering Betty Ford had felt more like self preservation than giving up."

"But you had mentioned that you weren't there very long?" Ville chuckled and used on of his fingers to tap her chin, finally pulling his hand away to re-tuck the arm behind hid head, looking away from her to pear up at the wooden ceiling.

"You don't miss a damn thing do you sweet? No, in fact I was only there for fifteen days."

"Fifteen days?" Ville glanced down to see a look of disbelief crossing her face and he used his ab's to lift his hips disrupting her relaxed pose as he wrinkled his nose at her.

"Don't get that look, everyone get's that damn look but they fail to realize something. I was in jail for a good week before I even went to Betty Ford, so my detox was already well on its legs. I know myself well enough to have known that being at Betty Ford any longer would have done nothing but given me a place to sleep for an immense amount of money. Getting better is a fact of self discipline, and it was going to be my choice either way to get better and no institution could do it for me."

Ville grinned down at Micheal-ann before pulling himself to sit up from his waist up and used his arms to pull her up to his face kissing her passionately before adding impishly.

"Besides, there spiritual preaching gave me the willies." Micheal-ann laughed at the word willies because as good as Ville's English was his accent completely annihilated the word and made him sound like a drunk dog.

"You do realize I'm one those 'spiritual' people your mouthing off about?" Leaning back to rest on his hands, Ville let Micheal-ann go as she to sat up leaning across his legs, and although he raised an eyebrow he couldn't help but oogle her bare chest.

"Oh so you're a bible thumper then?" Micheal-ann shook her head, and Ville's eyes grew wider as her chest followed the action his entire mouth going dry.

"Jewish?"

"Nope."

Ville couldn't think of any other religions as he felt himself growing harder as her bare body finally became a serious distraction when she had let her head loll to the side, her long curls uncovering a large field of skin as it fell to the side.

Micheal-ann had noticed Ville getting distracted by her nakedness and she was thoroughly amazed at the man's stamina. He'd literally spent the entire night before rocking her world, and with only an hour reprieve, was ready to do it all over again. The thought was tempting but as blasphemous as it sounded not tempting enough as she slid her body away from Ville before he could make any action of starting anything and climbed off the side of the bed to stand up.

Making a sound of disagreement Ville held his arms out like a toddler would when it wanted to be picked up by its parent and pouted at her. She merely stuck her tongue out at Ville before glancing around at the room resting her hands on her hips lightly.

The bruises that were there had been healing quickly, and the nights escapades had inflamed the injuries once again, even though Ville had tried to be extra careful with her. He had refrained from biting her even, and yet still her lip had broke open once again, her her hips black and blue. He couldn't even picture her without either of the injuries, the bruise on her nose on its last legs not really garnering that much attention.

The room was tastefully decorated, in its own way, with several black rugs covering the wooden floors, one large oak dresser covering the entire wall at the foot of the bed. The farthest wall was completely taken up by a bookcase, the same oak and design as the dresser, that held not only books but several different photos of what she assumed his entire family and other people he'd met as well as small statues of Egyptian deities, spheres of different stones, and other odd knickknacks.

Trunks, like the one's you'd see from the Titanic days, were stacked against the wall on either side of the door for decoration. A large headboard stood above the bed, with the same off knickknacks that the bookcase had held, although Micheal-ann realized with certain giddiness, a lot of them had fallen over from the rambunctious way they'd fallen into bed.

Ville remained where he was, with his erection very evident, and liked the way the woman looked in his room. She was confident in her looks, unabashed to stand before him completely open and in a odd way her looks matched the décor. Although she was absolutely gorgeous, she didn't need anything to add to it leaving her complexion simple and clean.

She belonged in his house, in his bed, in his life.

Micheal-ann pouted herself as she finally looked back to Ville, her hair once again haphazardly covering up her chest although still giving him tantalizing glimpses of tan flesh when she moved slightly.

"All my stuff is downstairs…." Micheal-ann's pout grew deeper and Ville knew exactly where this was going to go as he began to shake his head enthusiastically.

"No. I'm not going down there, it's to cold to do so without clothes."

"But your clothes are up here num nuts! MINE are downstairs, so I clearly cant go through the cold!"

Ville continued to shake his head as he quit sitting up, flopping back to lay down once again as he reached down pulling the mussed cotton comforter up to cover his body, all the way up to his chin.

"Nope nope nope nope nope. Betrothed you may be, I am not going down into the cold for you. Yeti, I am not. I can't afford to lose any limbs or weight from frostbite." Micheal-ann pranced forward, jiggling all the way to bed, before leaning over to pout beautifully at her fiancé.

"Pwetty pweasse?"

"No." The bluntness of his answer literally forced the pout off her face and she full out glared at the rock star. The changing of her face literally made Ville laughed as she glared at him, annoyed that he wasn't going to do what she asked.

"Nose goes!" Pulling out a high school years trick, Micheal-ann shoved a finger onto the tip of her nose and then began to laugh at the confused look that had taken over his features.

"You were the last, or didn't put your finger on your nose, so that means you have to go. Nose goes."

"I am not going down there." Micheal-ann gasped at his audacity to all together ignore the rules of 'Nose Goes' and stood up straight, her hands back on her hips staring at Ville, who continued to oogle and grin like an idiot.

Blowing air out of his nose, Micheal watched Ville, and after a few moments of thinking an evil grin slowly spread across her own face that slowly shook Ville's own grin off his face as he glanced about unsure. Micheal pulled away from the bed, making sure to sashay her best as she moved to closed door that led to the rest of the house.

In a very dramatic and alluring movement, She rested a hand on the door handle, throwing her hair over on of her shoulders, turning back to deliver the best pout she'd done yet and the voice she delivered her words with could have turned on the Pope.

"Ville, can you please get me my clothes, and then come wash my back?"

The blanket practically blew to land on the dresser opposite the bed, as Ville streaked from the bed, rushing to her, giving a playful smack to her butt, kissing her lips before practically sprinting down the hallway as he yelled back to her.

"You win! Slave-r-Ville!" Micheal-ann stepped out of the room, to lean against the door frame watching him disappear down the steps, and sighed slowly a happy smile growing across her features and she was nearly positive that it was going to become permanent as she heard a yelp and a loud '_Oh shit, uskon kaluni jäätyi_!' float up from the staircase.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh shit, uskon kaluni jäätyi!<strong>_ – Oh shit, I think I froze my dick!


	16. Pwned

"You never answered me."

Micheal-ann raised a tired eyebrow at Ville who had pulled her legs up to rest across his lap, and was now massaging her calves. She'd noticed he seemed to always keep his presence, his touch to her whether it be with his hands or simply pulling her body to his.

Her back was against the cab door that he'd called the moment they'd popped out of the shower, and although she'd argued with him slightly about joining her, she had easily let him win the fight to accompany her to the university.

The longer she still had faith in the Finnish, the better.

"Never answered what?" Ville's hands and thighs were the only things warmed, the cold Finnish morning air especially vicious at the moment. He would of complained about the lack of cold except for the fact that Micheal-ann had stepped out of the tower shivering and he'd immediately handed over his thick wool jacket.

It wasn't attractive in anyway, worn in and with questionable stains, but it was the most comfortable thing he owned and wore it daily whenever he was back home.

She'd insisted that he just opened the tower back up and allowed her to run upstairs to grab another jacket, but he'd known they were already behind and she couldn't be late without disastrous consequences.

When he'd insisted she'd reluctantly took the jacket, and he was astounded to find that the jacket didn't detract from her beauty at all, in fact it made her far more beautiful if only because he knew that she wore his clothing.

Ville would take it to his grave, if that came in a few minutes or not, that he was absolutely freezing. His dark green beanie, black long sleeve, long johns, and loose jeans did nothing to detract from the cold and he physically had to force himself not to shiver.

"What religion you are."

"I don't have a religion."

Literally doing a double take, Ville stared at the woman before chuckling squeezing her extremely warm calves, making her hiss in annoyance.

"You said, and this is a rough quote here, that you were one of the spiritual crazies I'd been speaking about." Micheal-ann pinned him with an annoyed glance before gesturing towards herself with the same voice a teacher would give an errant student, her words enunciated and stressed at the vowels. He might have been slightly offended by the way she made it seem like he was stupid if not for the fact that the third morning he'd spent with her, he'd realized that she was an uncontrollable grouch in the morning once she started moving.

She'd been sweet and loving as they laid in bed talking, laughing, making love but get her in clothes and on the way to anywhere, for the first hour or so, she was practically unbearable. Practically was the main word, considering he still wanted to be with her even when she was being a pill.

"I'm spiritual, yes. That is not religious. I don't praise one definite god in an attempt to relinquish the fear of ruling my own life by placing it on the shoulders of an unproven deity." Micheal-ann could hear the malice present in her voice and wished she could stop herself. She'd often hated working with people, or having anyone in her house because she had never wanted to explain her peculiar behavior.

She loved staying home and just curling up with a good book, CD, or movie with nothing but a huge t-shirt on and a bag of salt and vinegar chips. It was perhaps the most calming thing in the world, and or some reason since she'd been a teenager she'd never been able to just jump right into her day. She had to warm up to being, well alive, and in the time it took her to do so, she was a Grinch. Many times she'd had to apologize to someone later in the day when they'd caught her in the Grinch moment receiving some scathing retort.

She noted in her not quite functioning psyche to make sure to make it up to Ville, and if she'd been past her mood she'd have kissed Ville out right when he simply responded in a calm collected voice.

"What spirituality are you of then Micheal-ann?"

"I am a Buddhist."

That had literally been the very last thing that he'd expected from Micheal-ann's mouth and literally dropped his jaw in surprise. He had to take his surprise a step further as he scoffed and shook his head.

"Your joking?"

"I'm really not. I've been so since I was fifteen, and a monk saved me from getting mugged. I'd ran out of my house after my father had slapped me and it could have gone so horrible, but this little bald man saved my life. He couldn't speak English, he only spoke khmer but he'd brought me to his temple and I never once questioned that it had been where I was supposed to be." She spoke with such conviction, Ville found himself compelled to know what exactly Buddhism entailed. He'd heard of the form before but had never truly looked into it. It wasn't that he was selective, he was simply a firm atheist and it had never occurred to him to try and dissuade his own belief system.

"What exactly is Buddhism?" Micheal-ann half smiled at Ville at the cabbie drew up to the university in that moment and she merely motioned that it was time for her to go.

Ville nodded, as he slowly pushed her legs from his lap, undoing his seat belt as he opened his own door.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm walking you to school. I don't want the other kids picking on you." Micheal-ann merely shrugged at his joke and opened her own door climbing out, slamming the door shut, turning and walking towards the main building.

She heard Ville curse behind her as he scrambled to give the cab driver the fare, close his door, and rush after her all at once. He succeeded quite well as only moments passed before the familiar weight of his arm rested across her shoulders, and the faux relaxed voice only amused her further as he huffed softly beneath the cool tone.

"So, Buddhism?"

"In easiest terms, we believe in karma and reincarnation. If you do something bad in this life, something bad will happen to you in your next life. Do something good in this life, something good will happen to you in the next. If you get robbed in this life, you must have robbed someone in your previous life. It is a series of cause and effect. Everything is on a continuous loop. Life is constant, and there will always be hardships. It's what you do to fix the faults you've done that decide what your soul has to go through. Your own choices make your own destiny."

As she spoke, and they walked her tone and demeanor became more and more agitated and rushed as she scanned the people around her as if waiting for anyone to jump out and attack her for any reason, at any moment.

Even her shoulders became rigid as she straightened her posture, and right before his eyes the woman he was going to marry became colder than the air around them, even her own eyes dulling and losing most of their emotions.

It astounded him, but he couldn't stop now to talk to her as they rushed across the campus to come to a huge glass building, that he assumed was FIMM.

"You don't have to walk me in, you can go from here." Ville would have instantly done as she asked were it not for the tremor that went through her voice, and he came to a realization.

Micheal-ann was afraid.

Ville pulled her to a stop in front of the glass doors, as a few patrons inside the building had stopped to point at them whispering behind the thin glass most likely astonished to see a local celebrity with the new American exchange student.

Forcing her to look him in the eye with his hand underneath her chin, a favorite move of his when it came to the elusive Micheal-ann, and smiled earnestly urging her to do the same with just his eyes.

"Smile sweet. Your gorgeous all the time, but exceptionally stunning when I see you lit up. Consider it my lasting dose of you before I'm forced to let the professors and doctors have you." Micheal-ann was choked up and she wanted to pathetically beg him to act like a parent and accompany her to school, watching over her so that maybe the rest of the team wouldn't be so cruel as they were the day before.

But she knew better than that. She didn't need Ville to take care of herself, and she had to remember that, or else she'd be just as vulnerable as she'd been with Adam by letting him into every aspect of her life.

She needed to do this by herself, and as much as the fear terrified her, she'd worked hard to be here and Ville had no place in it.

With her resolution set, Micheal-ann smiled her most dazzlingly smile for Ville and before he had any time to even open his mouth, he was knocked sideways by a firm body.

"_Voi__olen__niin__pahoillani__, __en nähnyt__siellä__!_ " Ville would and could have bought the line, if the sarcasm by which the Finnish words were spoken with was so damn thick. Slowly turning from his disheveled stance, giving the appearance that the person hadn't really irked him a bit, he found a shorter stockier man firmly standing where he'd just been only facing him.

The man had mussed red hair, and judging by the clothes the man was wearing and the weary look behind his stern eyes, the man hadn't slept last night and was clearly aiming his venom at Ville's head.

"Oh Hannu! I totally forgot I'd left you didn't I? Yesterday afternoon I mean." The jealousy that tore through Ville was harsh and ripping when Micheal-ann's eyes had brightened slightly a genuine smile of relief gracing her lips.

Who the hell was this guy, coming in and making his girl smile, pushing him out of the way?

"No worries, I was able to fend for myself although I did have to stave off a few hungry Fin's. I cant promise I still have all my appendages." Micheal-ann was so relieved that Hannu had shown up, she'd honestly forgotten all about the red headed man, and was thankful that her day wouldn't be completely a killer if he was going to be there.

The air was thick between Ville and Hannu, unbeknownst to Micheal, and they silent glared at one another as Micheal-ann laughed at Hannu's quip.

Realizing that she hadn't introduced them the day before when she'd run off from Hannu, Micheal-ann smiled and held a hand out towards Ville before motioning between them.

"I'm sorry, where's my manners? Hannu, this is my.." Micheal-ann hesitated passing a quizzical look to Ville, who couldn't help himself as he moved, pulling her body towards his, her back to his chest.

"Ville Valo, her fiancé." The astonishment that went through Hannu, was easily masked by years of practice, as he inadvertently glanced down at her right hand where sure enough the engagement nearly blinded him with a sliver of light from the Finnish morning sun.

"Nice to meet you Ville." Holding a hand out to the rock star, Hannu fully expected the strong grip that the taller Fin administered and as they shook hands, the grip tightened slowly over a period of seconds.

"_Olisin varovainen, jos olisin sinä, tämä on miehen peli. Yksi pelle kanssa murskaa eivät mittaa asti._ "

Micheal-ann was immediately thrown off at the cool tone that Ville delivered his Finnish in and had the inkling that she was missing a vital moment.

Hannu grinned, as he shrugged, squeezing the hand he still held, his own burning and going numb, refusing to be the first to back down.

"_Mitä sinä viisi? Uhanalaiset että hän tulee vietettyä suurimman osan hänen aikaa minun kanssani?_ "

Ville full out laughed before he vindictively let his arm hang over Micheal-ann's shoulder to cross over her chest protectively his eyes biting as he grinned as well, the wicked malice behind them truly unnerving.

"_Todella, Olen neljä. En ole uhattuna, olen vain yrittää auttaa koska koiranpentu silmiisi ovat melko säälittävä._ "

Micheal-ann tried to figure something out by the men's expressions and with the cool glares and polite laughs she could pretty much understand that the two Finnish men, clearly did not like each other.

Hannu took a step closer to Ville his eyes flashing with something that Micheal-ann couldn't quite make out, but she felt herself move to stand more firmly in front of Ville. She did so without thought, naturally protective over someone important in her life. It was an awkward position considering she was extremely thankful for Hannu, and she wished so forcefully that she had taken the time to learn at least a bit of Finnish before she'd come out here.

"_Hän on menossa tarkastella näitä koiranpentu silmät päivittäin lähes kahdeksan tuntia päivässä, joten ehkä sinun pitäisi olla__**.**_ "

Hannu felt superior for only a moment before Ville simply turned Micheal-ann sideways giving her a soft gentle kiss, pulling away just as she leaned into him. He whispered into her ear sending Goosebumps rolling down her back.

"I'll be here three o'clock sharp. Play nice with the other kids sweet." Ville smiled warmly towards Hannu which unnerved the placid male, as he pulled away from the two bioengineers a new hitch in his giddy-up, and when he was a good ten yard away called back tauntingly.

"_Se on minun kihlasormus päälle sormensa ja se on paljon shinier kuin voit silmänne ja fiksu sanat._"

Hannu wanted to curse after him, tell him exactly where he could put that engagement ring of his, but instead he turned to the confused American who watched after her fiancé with raised eyebrows and an open mouth.

Micheal-ann didn't want to touch that with a ten foot pole, but couldn't help watching after Ville who had no couth, even going as far as to do a small spin as he walked, people watching after him as if he was crazy. An after thought came to Micheal-ann, and she was happy it was so early that most of the university's students still hadn't come in so he'd be able to make a appropriate exit without any fans stopping him.

Turning to her lab mate, she slowly let a smile spread across her face as she caught the full force of his agitated gaze.

"So, don't get angry for asking this, but who won that?" Hannu shook himself back to reality, literally shook, and plastered a charming smile on his face holding open his arms before putting one slowly behind her back ushering her into the building considering they were already late.

"I'd like to say me, but your fiancé seems to have.. what's the word.. _pwned _my ass as us geeks say."

"Your not a geek Hannu." The red head smiled as the glass door closed behind him and with a quick glance behind him he felt the smugness return as he placed his arm in the duplicate space of where Ville's had been moments before playfully shaking Micheal-ann.

"Don't flatter me, trust me because you truly have no say with that hideous cow hide around your shoulders. Did you trade a homeless man on the way here?"

Ville had walked away as cool as he could and when he was almost completely positive that neither his girl, nor his competition could see him any longer he dashed for another building, hiding himself behind a wall.

He internally swore that he'd take this childish spying to his grave, as he crept along the inner corridor of the antique building back towards the way of FIMM.

He'd put up an amazing front, his quick comebacks saving the day again, but it had been almost a hundred percent bluffing. Ville was in fact threatened by Hannu, and it irritated him to the core that the other man had honed in on it so easily. He often prided himself on being a mystery, a Sudoku puzzle for example. Looks easy enough to figure out, and then bam, your confused with numbers and thoughts and stories flying every which way.

It unnerved him immensely that within a few moments he'd been thrown for a complete loop by this stick of a man who looked like he'd last maybe a few seconds against Ville in an all out fist fight.

That was exactly what Ville had wanted to do to, slam his fist straight through his quick mouth, and smashing his red hair against the glass till it broke.

Ville was no longer cold as anger rushed through his veins warming him, and he crept along keeping his head down when any one passed as he returned to the FIMM building. He didn't go straight to the front, instead watching from the side in time to see the red head to put his arm around Micheal-ann and disappear into a row of corridors he couldn't see in from outside the building. Cursing, as his eyes practically went cross, he kicked the wall he leaned against.

A small woman who'd been passing squeaked in alarm and jumped away from him, and scurried like a mouse from the hallway leaving it completely empty.

When had Ville Valo ever been this jealous? Maybe a few times when he and Joanna had first been together as other men often sent her drinks at the bars they'd gone to together, but eventually he'd simply sat back and let the advances on her roll off his back. He hadn't really cared, and if Joanna had wanted to leave with one of them who offered, he wouldn't have hesitated to allow it.

Grabbing his beanie from his head, Ville ruffled his still slightly damp hair and paced the hall silently, the sun beginning to grow brighter and brighter as he took his time thinking.

He'd caught Micheal-ann by pure luck in his opinion and although he'd been neglecting his band mates for the past week and half he needed to cement the commitment between them so when punks like Hannu came around he didn't have to break into a cold sweat at the possibility of her changing her mind.

Ville slowly replaced the beanie on his forehead, thinking of his band mates, especially Mige who'd spent the early evening with Micheal-ann and him, packing her stuff and piling it in his tower.

The pudgy good natured Fin had shown up in his station wagon that he'd bought specifically to show his wife that he was ready to a child, and had immediately set into Micheal-ann. It might have horrified him, if Alexandra hadn't already done the same to him several times and he watched in amusement as Micheal-ann answered Mige's questions with questions and aggravating riddles.

Mige had quickly gotten then hint, with good nature, and had lightened up and by the time the three of them had gotten all of the American's stuff into his tower foyer they'd all been laughing and poking fun at each other. Upon walking Mige out after his ever anxious ex-model wife had called, Mige had simply slapped Ville on the back and asked him to please not schedule the ceremony anytime in the middle of the upcoming months because he most likely couldn't handle the pain of losing his best friend to the throws of marriage and his wife's menstrual cycle all at once.

It had meant a lot that Mige had given his support, and Ville only had to worry about Linde, Burton, and Gas before he could think to set a date. He wanted the people whom had been closest to him in his life to approve, and he'd wanted their acceptance more than anything.

The thought practically ripped through his head as Ville scoffed at the absurdly clever idea and with out a glance around to worry if anyone saw him, Ville threw his fist into the air with a huge whoop. Kicking his leg out in front of him with another whoop, Ville bit his lip his excitement ecstatic.

He'd win her over for good, and he knew exactly who he needed to help him.

Pulling his cell phone from his jean's pocket, Ville scrolled through his contacts to find Lauri Ylönen's number and pressed the button to connect them.

Ville only had to wait a few moments before the rough, sleep trodden voice of the singer answered.

"_Ville__, __miksi__sinä kutsut__minua__kahdeksan__aamulla_?"

"Olet Helsingissä oikeassa? " The groan of sleep and annoyance followed so quickly Ville would have felt remorse if the small man hadn't done the same to him a year or so ago. He heard Lauri sigh and could tell by the rustling of the phone that the man had been in bed and had sat up.

"_Soittaa__minulle__takaisin kymmenen minuutin."_

"Kymmenen minuuttia?" Ville couldnt help the slight groan in his voice, and the equally annoyed growl from Lauri made him laugh out loud as the Finnish singer hung up on him, but not before stating tiredly.

"_Minun täytyy savukkeen, kahvia, ja kusta ennen kuin aloitamme tämän hullu paskaa."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Voi<strong>__**olen**__**niin**__**pahoillani**__**, **__**en nähnyt**__**siellä**__**!**_- Oh I'm so sorry, I did not see you there!

_**Olisin varovainen, jos olisin sinä, tämä on miehen peli. Yksi pelle kanssa murskaa eivät mittaa asti.**_ - I'd be careful if I were you, this is a man's game. one geek with a crush will not measure up.

_**Mitä sinä viisi? Uhanalaiset että hän tulee vietettyä suurimman osan hänen aikaa minun kanssani?**_ - What are you five? Threatened that she is going to be spending most of her time with me?

_**Todella, Olen neljä. En ole uhattuna, olen vain yrittää auttaa koska koiranpentu silmiisi ovat melko säälittävä. -**_ Actually, I'm four. I'm not threatened; I'm just trying to help because the puppy dog eyes are pretty pathetic.

_**Hän on menossa tarkastella näitä koiranpentu silmät päivittäin lähes kahdeksan tuntia päivässä, joten ehkä sinun pitäisi olla.**_ - She is going to look at these puppy dog eyes on a daily basis for nearly eight hours a day, so maybe you should be.

_**Se on minun kihlasormus päälle sormensa ja se on paljon shinier kuin voit silmänne ja fiksu sanat. -**_ It is my engagement ring on her finger and it is much shinier than your eyes, and clever words.

_**Ville, miksi sinä kutsut minua klo kahdeksan aamulla?**_- Ville, why are you calling me at eight in the morning?

_**Olet Helsingissä oikeassa?**_- You are in Helsinki right?

_**S**__**oittaa**__**minulle**__**takaisin kymmenen minuutin –**_ Call me back in ten minutes.

_**kymmenen**__**minuuttia**_ – Ten minutes

_**Minun täytyy savukkeen, kahvia, ja kusta ennen kuin aloitamme tämän hullu paskaa.**_ - I need a cigarette, a coffee, and to piss before we start this crazy shit.


	17. Door Knocker, Not a Mantel Piece

"They really must think I am THAT stupid." Micheal-ann was absolutely livid as she slammed her palm into the door of the small locker she'd been commissioned in the community bath area for her lab clothes, slamming it with a satisfying bang.

The entire day she'd been treated like a queen, as a colorful array of FIMM workers she hadn't seen the day before had taken the time to come meet her, even if they didn't speak a lick of English.

Even the terrible threesome had reverted to speaking English, complimenting the bright purple rubber gloves she been _given_ by the institution, and had even gone as far to place themselves at the table she was eating lunch with Hannu asking her about her. How she'd gotten her hair so shiny, what her favorite make-up was, and how in earth had she'd met Ville Valo.

Apparently, yes they had thought she was that stupid, to eagerly except there friendship no questions asked and the moment Micheal-ann had heard the first question about Ville, she'd in turn clammed up.

She hardly had opened her mouth all day, not even bothering to acknowledge anyone existence, no matter how hard anyone tried to lure her into speaking into them. The only person who'd been graced with her attention had been Hannu, and it was him to whom she vented to now.

"Not stupid… well maybe a little stupid." Hannu's voice drifted from the other side of the lockers, as he to put away his lab coat and gloves, pulling his heavy winter jacket from within to replace them.

Micheal-ann, disgusted yanked her thin jacket on, before almost delicately picking up Ville's wool jacket. Hannu had continuously talked trash about the old thing all day, but the moment Micheal had pulled it from the locker she immediately smiled. Before putting her arms inside of the brown coat she brought it to her nose and nearly swooned at the heavy lily scent.

"Cause that doesn't look creepy at all." Glancing to her left, Micheal-ann stuck her tongue out at Hannu who now leaned against the locker next to her own.

Sliding her arms into the coat and picking up her satchel to sling it across her chest, she didn't even bother to remark as she motioned towards the exit.

"I'd been meaning to ask what you were fighting with Ville about by the way." Hannu laughed and threw his arm around Micheal-ann's shoulder again. She instantly felt awkward, his arm feeling like lead, his elbow actually digging into the nape of her neck making her flinch.

Faking that she needed to pick some non-existent coin off the ground, she bent down touching the floor with her finger tips before shoving her hands into the wool coats pocket sending a smile to a very put out looking Hannu.

"Sorry, thought I saw an old marrka." Hannu shrugged and placed his own palms in the pockets of his dark blue jeans as he used his body to push open the swinging door that'd lead to the front desk and front of FIMM.

Micheal-ann skipped after the red head, as she wrapped her arms across her chest biting her still ripped bottom lip feeling slightly bad. She didn't want to run off Hannu, she generally liked him and he made her entire day bearable, but he was no Ville. He didn't make her smile just by looking at her, and to be more specific he didn't make her feel safe and that was the main thing.

While thinking Micheal-ann hadn't been paying attention, and ran right into Hannu's back who had stopped short right as they entered to the front foyer of the FIMM building.

She let out a squeak of annoyance as she literally almost sent them both to the floor, and gave an equally annoyed squeal when Hannu's hands found there way onto her chest, in a lame attempt to 'steady' her as she teetered on the brink of falling.

The growl that left her throat was positively demonic as she snatched his palms away from her chest pinning him with an intense glare that would have killed him had it been a gun. Fixing herself, Micheal-ann gripped the sides of the wool jacket, pulling them together to cover her top half, crossing her arms again before coldly stating.

"That was really stupid of you. Hannu, touch me like that again, I take your balls as my mantel piece." The happy giddy grin that he returned to her, only made her even more agitated as he raised his hands in a 'come on' motion, his teeth blindly white and just begging to be knocked out.

"At least you'd be touching them. Take my advice though, id make them into some kind of ornament or door knocker rather than a mantel piece. Really get 'um on display you know?"

The smile that threatened beneath her scowl was almost irresistible and had it not been for the loud fake giggling that erupted behind Hannu, she'd have given in to the urge to grin at the witty man's remark.

Hannu glanced over his shoulder, smug that he'd gotten to feel the cute American up for a moment and hadn't even received a good kick to the balls. His day had been looking up, that is till he looked behind him to find the lead singer of one of his favorite bands with Joanna and Anneli trailing behind him like annoying puppies.

Lauri Ylönen, although thirty one, looked closer to twenty. Standing at the same height as Micheal-ann, he was stockier than Hannu, with muscles that although were evident didn't draw any real attention. With black hair that was longer in the front, pushed to the side of his face and shorter messy hair in the back, it literally looked like he'd just popped out of bed not bothering to even glance in the mirror. He had a round chin, and a button nose, With light hazel green eyes and furrowed eyes brows, he looked as if he belonged on a street corner reciting poetry.

Micheal-ann was confused as hell by the fawning looks that Anneli and Joanna, as they stood at either side of the stocky black haired man who held a look of agitation, clearly feeling out of place and awkward.

When he met her gaze, he smiled and Micheal-ann uneasily returned the favor glancing at Hannu who'd backed away from being in front of her, and now stood to the side of her and the stockier man.

Hannu's features were pinched and sour, leading Micheal-ann to believe that maybe the man was one of Hannu's associates in the engineering department that he constantly railed about.

Taking in the man's tight black skinny jeans, black combat boots, a heavy black northface appearing jacket, and green scarf, and immediately went against that thought. No one in engineering would dress like that, and she had an inkling then as to whom maybe he was, or at least who he knew.

"I'm guessing you're another musician?" The man grinned and held his hand out and when he spoke she had to try extra hard not to smile at his very thick accent that gave him a bit of a lisp.

"Yes, I am. Lauri Ylönen, Ville sent me to pick you up." Micheal-ann had to push down the panic in her chest, as well as her disappointment as she raised an eyebrow sliding her hand into the man's hand delighting slightly in the calloused palms.

"He send's out a famous person to do his dirty work?" The bitterness that came from Hannu literally made Micheal gasp as she said with exasperation.

"Hannu!"

He didn't even look at her his glare firmly on the man who, Micheal-ann noticed instantly, didn't look surprised at the least by the red head's comment. Lauri merely turned his head and administered the best death glare that she'd ever seen that immediately sent Hannu's top teeth clashing to the bottom set.

"_Yksi viesti alkaen Ville: hiljaa. siirry kotiin. sinulla ei ole mahdollisuutta helvetissä kanssa minun tyttö._ " Giving off a groan of anger Micheal reached forward after Lauri spoke Finnish and grabbed his jaw in her hands squeezing lightly as she forced him to look at her, his eyes now full of surprise.

"If you're going to be around me, I absolutely forbid Finnish. You speak it, I will… I'll bite you. I will, I swear it. No making me feel left out, got it?"

Lauri smiled slowly as he nodded his head in agreement and she let him go and had to the balls to give him a sheepish look.

"Thank you… sorry I grabbed your face, it seemed like a good dramatic move to make a point." Lauri held up a hand, gesturing that it was all right.

"It was very dramatic, but very good. Actress in the making, you are." Micheal-ann blushed at the flirting tone he held, and bit her lip when Anneli coughed very loudly drawing attention to herself as she began to gabber away in an entirely different language from English and Finnish all together.

Lauri could have cared less as the mousy woman began to fawn over him, and politely listened as he looked about for anything to use to get out from having to deal with her. He'd agreed to pick up Ville's fiancé, which had already came as a shock to him, but he didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be.

Thankfully Ville's woman immediately reached forward grabbing his arm, hooking her own into it and smiled sarcastically to the Swedish woman cutting her off with little to no remorse in her voice. In fact it held a tremor of satisfaction that made him get the sense that she didn't like the woman at all.

"Anneli, really, we need to be going. Your kind of wasting his time, you see he doesn't like bru- actually he doesn't like you in all honestly. So you'll please excuse us, we have better things to do." Plowing forward, forcing the two women to literally jump out of their way, Micheal pulled them towards the front door, glancing back to motion to Hannu to follow. He gave her a simple shake of his head, turning back around and retreated back to where they'd once came from.

She wanted desperately to follow him to figure out what the heck was going on, but she felt for the man she pulled and didn't want to look retarded after dissing one third of the terrible threesome by walking back.

Lauri held open the door for the woman who'd pulled him away from the truly annoying female, and stopped short once the door had closed as Micheal let go of his arm to face him with a half smile.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't offend you by doing that, I just **really** hate them." Lauri grinned and shrugged at her apologetic tone, getting the reason why Ville liked the American. He of course could tell she was absolutely stunning, a blind man could see it. Curves that went on for miles, as well as the cutest set of dimples he'd ever seen made him slightly jealous of his friend although he'd never admit it. Even with only being around her for less than five minutes, he could tell she was genuinely friendly, open and a bit of a fire cracker.

"No worries here. If I can help with a bit of revenge, I am happy to be of service to you."

Micheal-ann grinned and reached a hand up to twirl a lock of her hair as her other hand closed on the strap of her satchel.

"All right, thank you then. Now Lauri, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't Ville just pick me up?" Lauri motioned for them to continue towards, wherever he was taking her, and she fell into step at his side as he tucked his hands away from the brisk air.

"He's busy trying to put together a… how do you say in English… a kick back for you?" Lauri smiled trying to get across to the immediately put out looking girl that the man shed been thinking about all day hadn't just left her out to dry.

Micheal-ann slowly smiled as she thought of the fact that he hadn't said a damn thing about a party this morning, and had kept it to the extent to send this man out to get her and she was guessing that he wasn't going to be telling her much else.

Lauri glanced about and Micheal noticed that he bowed his head when ever anyone passed and felt slightly bad for not concentrating on getting them out of here quicker.

That thought slightly troubled her as she motioned with her thumb for the Finnish man to follow her towards the side where the halls were less crowded and they could make it to the main building without being followed or tormented.

At least if Lauri kept his head down and didn't look anyone in the eye, they'd be home free. As sad as it sounded, Micheal-ann had forced Hannu to walk with her during their lunch break, half to escape the terrible threesome, and the other half to find a way for her and Ville to get out of the campus without a repeat of the day before.

Micheal-ann was also troubled by the thought of having to do this every time she wanted to be with Ville. Of course she hadn't even gotten a taste of it till she got to campus, the entire other week being blissfully uninterrupted, but it rattled her a bit. She was private in a very conventional way. Anyone could know her, know stories of her, but she really didn't allow many people to intrude closer. She liked being alone and she wasn't exactly how well she'd be able to cope with hundreds of people clambering at her every move.

But she couldn't punish Ville doing what he loved, that was just cruel and wrong, and so she'd cope if it killed her.

"You seem quiet. Are you not happy?" Lauri's accent sent a smile straight to her face as she glanced to the man at her right, shrugging, hugging the old rag jacket to her body even closer than before in an attempt to let Ville's scent calm her thoughts.

"Tell me Lauri, do you like being famous? With people groveling all around you?"

"Groveling?" Micheal laughed as she raised a hand to smack her forehead softly, forgetting that not everyone spoke English as their first language.

"Uhm, do you like people always begging to know you?" Nodding in understanding the small man slowly raised a hand to brush his hair out of his eyes as he thought over the question.

Lauri wasn't sure if she even knew who he was, what band he was in, or anything like that, but she had clearly picked up on the fact that he was hiding his face from the multitude of people walking past them. It also made him feel relief at her calm reactions to it, and how she'd simply moved them to a less crowded area of campus.

"Eah, I don't know how to explain right but, it is like a gift that after time you get tired, so you push it away, and then the next time you find, it's a gift again." Micheal smiled and leaned towards the man, nudging his shoulder with her own.

"You Finnish use a lot of analogies." The confusion once again lit his face and Micheal just began to laugh loudly causing him to instantly shove his face down as most of the students around turned to glare at her.

She flinched after a moment, and hurried them along.

"Sorryyyyyyyyy." She drew the apology out, and Lauri simply pulled his coat a bit higher and smiled at her, his green eyes friendly and understanding.

They quickly made it to main building and slipped past it with no problem at all. Just as Micheal-ann moved to call a cab, Lauri grabbed her hand pulling it out of the sky holding up a pair of car keys and she grinned sheepishly.

Lauri didn't let go of her hand as he pulled her for half a block, to a black M5 BMW, and with his free hand unlocked the doors, and very gentlemanly walked her to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

"Thank you! And thanks for getting me, I'm sure my fiancé is working up a storm at this point, for no good reason either!" Lauri smiled, but didn't answer as her finally released her hand and closed the door after she'd pulled her leg inside.

Micheal-ann felt her cheeks burn, and although she was sure she was just taking it to a higher level than it was, she wasn't comfortable at all with the Finnish man holding her hand. She felt bad now that she'd put emphasis on thanking him about getting her for Ville, and nervously fiddled with the hem of his jacket wishing that he had come instead.

Lauri felt ashamed as he realized he'd been trying to flirt with the American woman, had purposely held her hand in an attempt to be suave, and felt like smacking himself in the head the same way Micheal had done minutes before.

Opening the door of his car, Lauri slipped inside and forced himself to face forward and keep his eyes off his friends fiancé, not wanting to open any can of worms like that. It was a shame though, because she was absolutely beautiful.

_Ehkä hän on sisar_, Lauri thought with amusement as he shoved his key into the vehicle delighting slightly in the purr that the engine gave as it started.

Micheal-ann breathed in the new car smell, and practically purred along with the engine as Lauri put the car into drive, but before pulling off asked in a slightly restrained tone that she had no inclination to ask about.

"We're supposed to be picking someone up named Alex now?" Micheal-ann instantly smiled but felt a twinge of guilt at the cousin that she had yet to call even though she'd promised she would.

"All right, well easiest instructions, do you know where Kari's shop is?" Lauri fully turned to pin her with a surprised look before nodding slowly. Micheal grinned and motioned to the road.

"Go there."

As Lauri glanced over his shoulder, merging into traffic easily, he asked disbelieving.

"This Alex is at the sex shop?" Micheal-ann laughed as she slowly began to understand that practically everyone knew exactly what Ville's father did, and didn't even attempt to think about who really visited it either.

"No! haha, no, she lives across the street!" Lauri raised a hand and flipped off another car that had cut him off causing him to break quickly, and laid on his horn.

Driving in any European, or foreign country other than America, was putting your life in danger because unlike the United States, road signs, lights, as well as painted lines and instructions were more like suggestions than laws. People would take right turns from the farthest left lane, as well as weave between street blocks, sidewalks and all things not meant to be driven about.

Micheal-ann gripped the door handle on her left trying to refrain from shrieking as Lauri merged back into traffic from his veer off the road, as cars honked and whizzed past. After a good minute they were back on the road, and Micheal wanted nothing more than be walking home. Lauri blew a raspberry as he shrugged his shoulders in the seat and glanced at the rigid American.

"I'm professional. No problem." Micheal-ann chuckled fakely as she flashed him a small smile and then turned to focus on the traffic in front of them.

"She lives?"

"Yeah, Alex is my cousin who's lived in Helsinki since she graduated high school in the states." Micheal-ann squeaked as Lauri revved the engine and the car shot off like a shot at the red light they'd been idling at and proceeded to race down the street, and as she focused on the street in front of her she missed the giddy grin that grew across Lauri's face.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Yksi viesti alkaen Ville: hiljaa. siirry kotiin. sinulla ei ole mahdollisuutta helvetissä kanssa minun tyttö.<em>** - A message from Ville: Shut up. Go home. You have no chance in hell with my girl.

_**Ehkä hän on sisar**_ - Maybe she has a sister.


	18. Better than Nobody

As Lauri parked in front of her cousin's apartment building she felt a tremor go through her, putting her on edge.

The bright Helsinki light gave her a small assurance, as odd as it sounded as Lauri turned off the BMW and glanced at the building she was staring intently on placing a hand on the back of her seat motioning with his other hand towards her door.

"Should I come with you?" Usually Micheal-ann would have told him no, he should wait in the car as she went to go get her cousin, but she had an inkling that her cousin would be less inclined to skin her alive if there were witnesses.

"I'd like that." The small Finnish man smiled and practically magicianed himself out of the car, rushing to her side of the car to pry open the door holding out a hand to help her out of the passenger seat.

Not wanting to have a repeat of just a good ten minutes ago, she smiled and dodged his hand to slid her body out of the car leaving his hand hanging there as she walked towards the building trying to act like she'd not just dissed his offer.

Lauri got the message loud and clear, and once again felt a slight guilt erupt in his stomach at the fact that he once again tried to hold his friend's fiancé's hand. Cursing below his breath he slammed the car door, and followed after the American trying to calm his stupid hormones that were going to get him into trouble.

Lauri was used to most females fawning over him, no matter how awkward people had told him he looked there had always been a girl there to reassure him that he was in fact a sex pot.

He was cocky, and thought highly of himself, but he was not an asshole who went after his friends girls. He generally was able to control himself, and most people who knew him knew he was more content with the opposite sex to make it known to him that they were interested.

Shaking his head, throwing his hair behind his ear, Lauri waited as Micheal pulled out a very small set of keys from her satchel, and unlocked the front door. She held it for him to enter and he smiled and faked a curtsy as he scampered inside like a young girl might as he said sarcastically.

"Why thank you kind sir."

Micheal-ann's raised an eyebrow as she moved to enter after Lauri, realizing that she'd just said the same words to Hannu, and felt her lip pout out. It seemed she was doing wrong by all the people in her life with this Ville endeavor.

Lauri glanced behind him holding his hands up signally that he had no idea where he was going, and he was treated with another laugh and a point from Micheal who motioned to where a small staircase was.

Micheal-ann continued to follow after Lauri, pointing him along until they got to the front door of Alexandra's apartment, then she moved forward. She thought for a moment about opening the door with her key, but thought against surprising her cousin and simply raised a hand and knocked.

"You have a key, no?"

"I do, I just don't want to surprise her is all." She rapped again, biting her lip, the now usual metallic taste comforting almost.

"But I am a good surprise!" Micheal would have laughed at the teasing Lauri gave, had her cousin's door not swung open to show a very infuriated looking Alexandra who held a beer in one hand, a lite cigarette in the other hand that rested on the handle of the door.

Her cousin cocked her head to the side, before taking a slowly sip of her beer, and lifted the hand with the cigarette and waggled it at Micheal-ann as she scrunched up her nose as if she was focusing really hard on Micheal's face.

"You look like my cousin, but it couldn't be. She's off with her new famous boyfriend."

"Fiancé." Micheal-ann could have cold cocked Lauri who chirped up from behind her, and almost did when Alexandra's knuckles turned white around her beer bottle. Her cousin slowly took a drag from her cigarette as she glanced around Micheal-ann to pin Lauri with an aggravated glare.

If Alexandra hadn't been so infuriated she be blushing and grinning and swooning like a little bitch at the man behind Micheal. Lauri Ylönen had been Finnish celebrity crush for years now, and as an after thought, she realized that he definitely looked way better with the black hair. The blonde thing he had liked to do washed him out, and his eyes were far more striking as they looked from underneath his messy hair, straight at _her._

Pushing off her fan girl tendencies, Alexandra blew the smoke from her lungs straight at her cousin, who didn't smoke and had many times over complained to her about the fact that she felt sick whenever she smelt cigarettes, and felt slight satisfaction when Micheal cringed.

Micheal tried her best to appear repentant as her cousin merely looked at her and Lauri behind her before once again gripping the door handle and motioning to the man behind her, a glare so cold in her eyes, Micheal-ann felt frost bite inch into her spine.

"_Olet__ajaa meidät__ostoksille__?_ " Lauri wanted to feel threatened, wanted to get mad at the tone the woman delivered but the sick and twisted aspect of it was, this woman turned him on, icy tone and all. The American in front of him was beautiful, true, but her cousin was an absolute goddess, and Lauri was instantly wishing for a pair of tighter jeans as the space in them began to deplete.

"_Minä ajaa minne vain haluat. Autossa, vuonna teissä, kumpikin tapa sopii minulle._ " Years of experience in working in a bar, helped Alexandra keep a straight face and her glare intensified as she motioned to her cousin.

"You'd best reign in your _fiancé's _call bitch while I get my bag and keys." Turning to walk back into her apartment, Alexandra dropped the glare and smiled as wide as she possible could and forced the little dance that threatened her to keep at bay as she grabbed her already waiting bag, and keys that rested next to it.

She should be disgusted by the singer and his words, but she was more entranced at the fact that he'd said it to her to really care. Besides it was a shot straight to her confidence, and although she'd never let him know, had it been any other situation than him showing up with her errant cousin, he'd of had to back up his words.

Micheal-ann didn't miss the lilt in Lauri's voice after having been around Ville enough to figure out the way people spoke in Finnish when they were saying certain things, and turned to look at him.

Lauri looked awe struck, and Micheal-ann glanced back to her cousin who was slowly pulling her back onto her shoulder, and looked back to Lauri who's eyes were transfixed on Alex. A small knowing smile spread across her face and she instantly felt some of the quilt and tension alleviate from her shoulders as she reached up to gather a strand of hair between her fingers twirling it before quipping.

"So, I am sorry. Let's put this behind us, and while were on thhhatttt subject, Alexandra you seem to know more about what's going on that I do." Micheal felt smug as her cousin turned to pin her with the same glare that she'd been wearing since she'd opened the door but its effects were now gone as she felt giddy at the development happening right before her eyes.

"Im not putting it behind me for ever, just for now. We're going shopping, courtesy of your _fiance_, so we look exceptional for tonight's party. I'm guessing it's an _engagement _party then?" Micheal-ann noticed the way that each time her surprised cousin mentioned Ville being her betrothed, her voice hissed out the words. She should have felt ashamed that she hadn't already told her cousin, but she'd wanted to do it in person and thanks to Lauri, hadn't had the chance to do it herself.

Backing away from the door, Micheal made room for her cousin who was closing the door behind her. Lauri on the other hand stepped closer, the distance between Alex and him less than a few inches as he stared at her intently a playful lust filled smile on his lips.

Micheal-ann glanced around her as she rolled her lips in, her eyes going wide feeling extremely awkward in the small hallway that had suddenly become a lot hotter and smaller.

Realizing something, Micheal-ann slowly backed away from the couple and at the last moment turned around to descend the apartment's stairs with a full smile on her face.

If what she saw up there was going to develop, then it certainly made things easier for Micheal-ann and Ville considering that it might make her protective cousin a bit more open to their relationship.

Alexandra hardly noticed her cousin leave, as she turned from locking her apartment door to almost run smack dab into Lauri Ylönen. She wanted to bark at the man who although short, stood five inches above her. But all she could bring herself to do was roll her eyes, and shove her shoulder into his as she stomped after her cousin.

The electric charge that zapped her when their shoulder's touched was jarring, as Alexandra literally gasped and tripped over her own feet and plummeted to the floor of her apartment building with a groan of annoyance.

She groaned slowly when her hands, that had luckily took the brunt of the fall, shot with pain and she let her body flop to the floor all together her cheek inflamed.

What, was she Micheal-ann now? Soon she'd have a swollen nose, and a busted lip.

"_Jos olisin vähempi mies, id hyödyntää sijaintisi juuri nyt_ " Alexandra scrambled up to her feet, and turned to glare at the grinning Fin. Her cheeks were red as blood rushed to her head and she huffed and practically tor the entire building down as she ran after the cousin who'd abandoned her after squeaking very embarrassingly at him.

"_Siirry pestä voit suun saippualla kusipää._" A laugh and a retort that only maddened the embarrassed Alexandra further chased her down the stairs, where she intercepted Micheal-ann, wrapping her arm around the taller woman's neck for bringing that man to her apartment.

"_Entä peset jotain muuta päälle ruumiini_ "

* * *

><p>"What exactly are we supposed to be wearing to this thing?" Micheal-ann looked to Lauri who had, the moment they'd entered the Finnish department store, sat down in one of the seats in front of the changing rooms. A satisfied grin had rested on his face the entire car ride over, while Alexandra had cast death glares around like they were candy.<p>

"No dresses, just sexy looking yeah?" Lauri glanced at Alexandra who stood with her arms crossed, looking almost identical to her cousin, except for the fact that she was glaring a hole right through his head.

Shaking her head at the man, Micheal turned away and began to roam through the hundreds of clothes that had been hung up on several different racks, not even bothering to glance about for her cousin or Lauri. She'd found out a long time ago that trying to put yourself in someone else's problems or relationship was only going to cause problems, it wasn't going to help.

It never would and it took a bit of time before people realized that.

"So when were you going to tell me?" The hurt that Alexandra's words held was soul cutting, as Micheal-ann glanced up across the rack of clothes to where Alex pretended to shift through a few red blouses her eyes downcast trying to seem uninterested in her answer.

"When I saw you in person. It'd only been a night, but Lauri just beat me to the punch is all.." Micheal tried to portray the same thing as her cousin as she pulled a pair of black pants from the rack to her left falsely studying the ugly material as if she was interested before slowly placing it back where it had been before.

"Was he not even decent and gave you a ring?"

"Alex!" Alexandra spun to where she'd turned her body away from her cousin trying to hide the hurt look she'd worn for the past day, and glared straight into her cousin's eyes.

"You know how I feel about this. Didn't you hear anything I'd said that night when he first proposed to you in front of me?"

"I know how YOU feel Alexandra, but this isn't about YOU. This is about ME! MY choice, MY engagement, MY Ville."

The silence that stretched between them could have easily been cut with a knife as they both tugged and pulled clothes from racks reflecting on what each other had said till finally Alexandra said slowly begrudgingly.

"So did he get you a ring or not?" Micheal-ann shuffled a blouse she'd pulled from a rack that she liked to one arm, before reaching a hand into the pocket of her jeans pulling out the silver and gold ring she'd had to take off for the lab work they'd had to do that day and slid it onto her wedding finger.

Holding up her hand for her cousin to see, Alex's mouth went slack as she dropped the clothes in her arms directly on the floor, and practically sprinted around the racks that separated them and grasped her hand into her own like a beggar might a euro.

"Oh my god, Mikey, you could buy half of Helsinki with this!" Blushing at the nickname that Alex hadn't used in years, Micheal glanced around at the few women who were also shopping and were now glancing at them wondering what the woman who'd run to her was so excited about.

"No not half of Helsinki… Maybe a quarter…" Alex, although she didn't like what had happened right underneath her nose and she didn't like Ville, she was thoroughly impressed by the ring that now glittered on her cousin's hand. With a diamond that was at least a karat, and gold that was solid not plated the ring had to have cost a fortune.

Turning Micheal's hand back and forth watching the ring slice her vision with its shine, Alex shook her slowly giving the hand back placing her hands on her waist.

"You said yes?" Micheal-ann nodded and her cousin's eye held disappointment that pierced her far more viciously than she'd have expected, as Alex turned away to return to where she'd dropped the clothes and disappeared from Micheal's view leaning down to pick them up.

The coldness that seeped into Micheal's chest was harsh and lonely as she reached grabbing whatever was in front of her gathering it close to her chest slowly walking dragging her feet towards Lauri and the changing rooms.

Alexandra watched Micheal's feet move away from her, and felt guilty at the coldness she was approaching the entire engagement with. She had been just discussing a night ago the many ways to separate Micheal and Ville with Hannu, and now they were going to get married? Her cousin couldn't possibly be of right mind, surely the woman whom her mother had told her had gotten raped by her boyfriend and gotten pregnant because of it wasn't the same who'd just stood in front of her with a fat rock on her finger.

Her cousin had snapped at her saying that it was Micheal's decision, not Alex's, and although she understood the sentiment, and also agreed with it she could bring herself to let it go.

Micheal was the one who was supposed to make a difference in the world, create some amazing cure for sick children, and make the world a better place. Her place wasn't to be some lackey to a rock star, following in his footsteps and hiding in his shadow. Her cousin was meant to be amazing, a beacon of hope and she couldn't see that happening with Ville tying her cousin to him.

He'd be selfish even if he said he wouldn't, he'd want her to join him on his tours, around the world. He'd guilt her even if he didn't realize it, into giving her everything up because even though her cousin would never admit it, Micheal just wanted someone to want her around. To need her, and to pick her above everyone else in the world and because Ville was so willingly to do just that, so easily, it was fooling her cousin into thinking forever.

No one deserved her cousin, Alex thought bitterly and as she picked up the clothes cradling them in her arms she slowly followed her cousin's steps to where she'd disappeared into the dressing rooms.

"Eh, why do you do such things to her?" Lauri reverted to English for the moment, because for once he didn't want to hear what she had to say in Finnish, he wanted to hear the goddess tell him in her language why she had given her cousin such a cold greeting to the engagement to Ville.

Alexandra glowered at him as the first words he spoke to her that weren't filthy made her feel absolutely awful in a different way than his first had done.

"Why don't you mind your own business?"

"Why don't you be happy for your family?" Alexandra huffed and threw the abused clothes into a vacant chair next to the man before growling, her pride and morals hurting at the sentiment he'd dared to project onto her.

"You don't know either of us, and that girl in there deserves better than your precious Villa. Villa isn't even worth kissing the sole of her shoe, and neither are we."

"You hold yourself so lowly to her, that does not mean the rest of us are." Alex raised a hand, and would have slapped the rest of the smart remarks that Lauri had in his mouth right out, had he not caught her wrist in lightening fast time.

Pulling on the infuriated, misguided woman's wrist Lauri pulled her right into his space bubble, her face a mere centimeters from his own.

He may have thought she was absolutely gorgeous, he may have wanted nothing more than to take her home and stay there for hours on end, but he was aghast at how delusional the woman was about her cousin's happiness and view of the situation.

"Let me fucking go!" Lauri caught her other wrist as she came inches close to punching him in the temple and brought her slightly struggling frame closer, her face reaming the same distance.

"Listen carefully American. A Saying my mama used to say, you could use it now. '_Olen__parempi__kuin__kukaan__, __eikä kukaan ole__parempi__kuin__minä_. '" After speaking, Lauri gave the still struggling woman a slight push and she stumbled back her eyes practically flaming red as she stood her mouth wide open, simply amazed at the fact that he'd just shoved her shit straight into her face.

Alex open and closed her mouth a few times before Micheal's voice came from behind her, timid and weak.

"Does this look all right?" Turning to her cousin who wore a tight pair of True Religion blue jeans and a tight black tank top, Alex merely turned and walked past her, her anger and thoughts confusing her. She wasn't sure what she was thinking now, or what she should do.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Olet<em>_ajaa meidät__ostoksille__?_** – You are driving us to go shopping?

**_Minä ajaa minne vain haluat. Autossa, vuonna teissä, kumpikin tapa sopii minulle.-_** I'll drive just about anywhere you want. In the car, in you, either way is fine with me.

**_Jos olisin vähempi mies, id hyödyntää sijaintisi juuri nyt._** – If I were a lesser man, I'd take advantage of your position right now.

_**Siirry pestä voit suun saippualla kusipää**._ – Go wash your mouth with soap asshole.

**_Entä peset jotain muuta päälle ruumiini_** – How about you wash something else on my body?

**_Olen__ parempi kuin kukaan, eikä kukaan ole parempi kuin minä_.** – I am better than nobody and nobody is better than me.


	19. Family

**Author's Note**

I understand most of the people reading this story, do not in fact speak Finnish! I am putting the definitions to the Finnish at the end of each chapter, but please do not message me complaining on how since you went down to read what the Finnish meant, it ruined a chapter plot for you.

Word of advice, read the chapter _without_ the definition first. In doing so your getting to understand the story as Micheal-ann would because she to, can not speak Finnish.

That was kind of my aim in even putting Finnish in, in the first place. I'm just being nice and not making everyone freak out because they don't know what is being written at all.

Thank you, and enjoy this chapter.

* * *

><p>Climbing into Lauri's car was like climbing into a sauna. The air was thick, and it was intensely hard to breath as the musician pulled the black vehicle into traffic.<p>

Micheal-ann hadn't really spoken since her and Alexandra had fought, and it set the tone for the entire trio. They all sat slumped in the awkwardness and the sluggish gelatin like feeling of hurt as no one bothered to ask anymore questions about the night's plans.

Lauri had grunted out that they'd needed to dress in the outfits that they'd bought, and after doing so, it was surprising to bother Alexandra and Micheal-ann that he'd merely thrown down a saving's card on the counter and walked outside to smoke a cigarette.

It had bothered Lauri that Alex had acted as she did. He of course liked her fiery spirit, with her no hold nothing back attitude, but what she had said and what she had done was cruel. She had absolutely no right to put her own fear, anger, and morals onto her cousin to try and influence her life.

Micheal-ann was a beautiful woman, that much he could have told anyone from just being around her for a few hours. Absolutely full of life, and with a hidden drive that called out to everyone around her, casting a peaceful calm, Micheal-ann was the personification of life.

He'd known Ville for years and still to this day, he hadn't gotten the man even half way figured out. He'd been like every other Finn in the way that he'd drink, speak softly, and sit about in a cloud of depression pushing every one away. Privacy was key, considering that no one knew the full story behind Ville and Joanna and no matter the question or the asking Ville had managed to avert every single thought with clever words and sarcastic excuses.

Honestly, the way Lauri looked at it, they deserved each other. They countered each other, they were different in the best ways that filled into each others differences to mesh them together properly. Where Ville might have been forceful, Micheal would be gentle, and all other manner of explanations.

_Lokakuu ja Huhtikuum_, Lauri thought cheekily as he took a quick left heading towards the center of Helsinki.

Alexandra wanted to reach across the back seat, and strangle Lauri just for simply breathing in the same area as her. Her pride was far from being repaired and she wanted blood for how he'd made her feel like some monster for trying to make her cousin see that she was making a mistake.

A huge, life altering mistake, and no matter what the black haired arse said, it WAS wrong of her cousin and the Finnish celebrity. If Micheal-ann couldn't see that on her own, then she'd make her see it by any means necessary.

The clothes that Micheal-ann wore felt heavy, as if they were the manifestation of all the uncertainties, pain and anxiety that were flying around her head taunting her, torturing her.

She'd never in a million years had thought that the one family member she'd reached out to, would have taken such a firm stance _against_ something that was making her happy. She'd expected some resistance on Alex's part but not an all out refusal to accept it.

Micheal was torn more than she'd been before at the thought of stopping her research, at taking a break from bioengineering.

This was her family, the only family that she'd wanted to know what was happening at moment any way. She'd spoken to Ville about it just last night about how she wanted Alex to approve.

How having her cousin standing by her side with her choice would mean everything especially considering no one in her blood line had done the same ever before.

Ville had instantly agreed, that he also wanted his band mates, father, brother, and traveling mother to give their support.

That had initially frightened her, considering that was a lot more people to impress than her one cousin, but Ville had done wonderfully in convincing her that they'd all absolutely love her.

That he just wanted them to be there, and if they didn't agree with his choice, then be damned with them. He didn't need their approval, he simply wanted it.

When he'd said that, she'd felt her breath catch at the incredibly insane sentiment behind that thought. He was willing to go against his family, the people he loved, and loved him in return to marry her. She couldn't wrap her head around that, at least she hadn't been able to till Alex had made her choice clear in the department store.

The choice he'd firmly laid out for her, the choice that he would pick regardless of his loved ones thoughts was now her reality.

She could be with Ville, marry Ville, and go against Alexandra who had been the only Welsh whom had ever attempted to speak to her, to give her a semblance of family.

When her father had drunk his way into oblivion, and her mother ran off the China in an attempt to alleviate her own pain, Alexandra had called her nearly every day to simply say hello and check up. Alex had been the closest thing to a loved one she had, and although her cousin didn't know every thing about her, Micheal-ann loved her simply for the fact that she'd never pried. Never once asked or attempted to force her to say anything that she wasn't comfortable with.

Alex had been content to love Micheal-ann for the bit she knew, and that meant the world.

Micheal rolled her fist underneath her chin, watching the darkening Helsinki street's pass the car window as they sped to an area that she wasn't familiar with as her thoughts took a turn to her long lost family.

Her family had been the oddest conglomeration of people that Micheal often wondered if they'd merely pulled people off the street and pronounced them Welsh. The Welsh family hailed from either ends of the spectrum of wealth, and that often caused clashes of cataclysmic proportions.

Her mother,Yolie, had been one of eight daughters of the prominent leader of the Finnish Biker gang, The 'Rogues Gallery' in Lahti, Finland. Her and one of her older sisters ,Serapina, were fed up with the constant drugs and guns that had filtered through there fathers house and together they'd left for America to find a different life. The older sister had left while pregnant with one of the Rogue's children, and had given birth shortly after the pair had arrived in America. Serapina named the child Alexandra and refused to accompany Micheal-ann's mother any farther than Philadelphia, now that she had a child to take care of.

Yolie left on her own to California, and there she'd met Micheal-ann's suave father William. William was homeless, charming, and a manipulator. He'd seduced Yolie so easily, practically forcing Micheal-ann's mother to work nearly three jobs once they'd been together for a year or so.

A few years after they'd been together her mother had given birth to her brother, Francisco Grisolia. Micheal-ann often referred to him as her half brother because they had absolutely nothing in common, and her brother had disappeared so quickly once he'd turned eighteen that Micheal-ann never really knew him.

Her mother had been caught by William, and in turn she'd agreed to marry him when her brother was already two years old. They'd been flown out to Spain where his family was.

Micheal-ann's grandfather, Santiago Grisolia, on her father's side was some hot shit Nobel prize nominated scientist for blood work, and his assistance to Ochoa for discovering RNA.

They'd gotten married on the rock of Gibraltar, and Micheal-ann had come along not long after.

Her entire blood line was full of anger, hostility, pride, and no true emotions.

Micheal-ann had grown up around her family realizing that she was nothing like them, and she never would be. It had been easy for her to leave after high school when she'd accepted it, and had found it surprisingly easy as well to never speak to her family, Alexandra being an exception.

Her mother and father had split ten years after her birth and had been forced to clean up after her dads drinking escapades, as well as her mothers inability to handle reality, running off the different countries and places with little to no notice.

She'd been worn so thin taking care of everyone else and their problems it had made it easy for Adam to infiltrate into her life and own in.

Micheal-ann had been so entranced at the fact that she was with someone she wanted to be with, and was experiencing something for herself that she'd let it consume her. It had been the first time since she had cognizance that she was doing something for her, getting back her youth for her.

It had been her mistake, and with it, she had destroyed herself and the little bit of calm she'd developed between her warring families.

During that time Alexandra had left her mother in Philadelphia to return to Helsinki to meet her father, who was in jail for killing a man over a drug deal gone wrong, and luckily neither of them had to meet their grandfather who had moved the rest of the Rogue's Gallery farther north settling in Rovaniemi.

"Micheal-ann, this is your stop." Jarred from her thoughts, Micheal-ann glanced to her right, past Lauri, to the huge white building that resembled the White House. She felt her mouth hang open as she stared at the six pillars that held the small entrance to building up, and choked on her question as to where the hell she was.

She didn't have to ask really, when through the few people that were entering and exiting the building she saw Ville, standing with a man whom was a few inches shorter with the same build as him.

"No, not happening. She's not getting out of this car without me." Alex's voice broke her trance and she looked back to her frantic cousin who was trying to pull on her jacket over the electric blue tank top she'd just bought as well as grab her purse from the floor of the BMW.

Micheal glanced outside to where Ville had seen them in the car, and was now shaking the man at his side motioning towards her with the bright smile that she had missed the entire day.

His excitement seeped from every pore, as he practically danced around the younger looking man, never moving his gaze from her own, the smile infectious as the same one grew quickly across her own.

"No, Alex." Alex stopped short as she finally managed to get her purse free from underneath her feet and slowly raised her eyes to really look at her cousin.

Her cousin wasn't looking at her at all, instead her eyes were shiny and focused on something outside the car, that Alex quickly realized in dismay was Ville Valo.

Drawing in a slow breath, _knowing_ her cousin wouldn't pick this man she'd hardly known for a few weeks over her. Over the person who'd given her a home with no resistance, who had checked up on her every day, who had been in her life for nearly all of it.

"What do you mean, No?" Alex's words were clipped, and Lauri would have been amused to hear the slight Finnish accent on the broken words had be not realize exactly what was about to happen.

"I mean, I'm going out there to Ville because…. because well I think I'm going to love that man whether you say I shouldn't or not." With nothing more than a satisfied nod and sigh to her self Micheal-ann gripped the satchel she still carried to her chest and shoved open the car door, leaving Alex completely blown apart inside with Lauri.

Fixing the dark Blue Religion jeans, and the black skin tight long sleeve shirt underneath a sheer black covering, Micheal-ann threw her satchel across her chest, practically sprinted around the front of the car, and into Ville's open arms.

Micheal-ann hugged him so fiercely, Ville felt his breath leave for a moment but wouldn't have wanted anything less as he returned the grip she had on him. Kissing the top of her head which was cradled into his chest, Vile felt the ache of tension and anxiety disappear completely.

Jesse Valo, his brother had very nonchalantly backed away from Ville and Micheal giving them their space glancing to the black car that she'd come from.

Lauri had slowly turned from the drivers seat to find Alex staring at the seat in front of her where her cousin had just been and leaned his head against his hand waiting for her to snap out of whatever thought storm her cousin had just forced her into.

Alex couldn't think. She literally had no thoughts on what her cousin had just done and with it she leaned back against the plush leather interior of her celebrity crush and let out a long burst of air that had seemed to fill her up to the brink.

"_Meillä ei tarvitse olla juhlissa varten vielä kaksi ja puoli tuntia. Haluaisitko mennä minigolfia?"_ Alex looked to the earnest man, thrown for a loop with his off offer and simply nodded her head. The Finnish man grinned and shoved the car into drive, and Alex had to force herself no to look to where her cousin stood, choosing a man over her.

After a few more minutes Ville pulled away from Micheal-ann although she clung to him like a burr and murmured softly to her glancing to find his brother standing a bit off inspecting his cuticles.

"Sweet, I want you to meet my brother."

"But I've missed you."

"As have I, but this, this is important." Micheal breathed in Ville's scent for a moment longer before pulling away, smiling up at Ville before turning to face where he then glanced to find his brother stalking slowly towards them.

The younger Valo had the trademark long face, but his skin unlike Ville's bore absolutely no wrinkles or flaws. It was baby skin, and glowed white with the cleanness of it. His nose was slightly pointed down where as Ville's was a bit piggish, but their lips were practically identical with thin top lips, and plump red bottoms. His head was covered in a black golf cap, and he was dressed head to toe in what seemed untouched black cotton, including a scarf, two thick sweaters and slacks. The only thing that kept Jesse Valo from looking like some cheesy European, was the large black plugs that were in each of his ear lobes.

"Jess, this is Micheal-ann Welsh. Micheal-ann this is my younger brother Jesse." Jesse flashed a rather toothy grin, the opposite of Ville's small set, and pulled hand that had been tucked across his chest to the open, holding it out to her.

Micheal smiled and swatted his hand softly away and moved forward hugging the older man, silently praying that this wasn't going to cost her his acceptance of her.

Jesse was absolutely stone as Micheal wrapped her arms around him, and just as she would have pulled away the man begin to laugh and his arms pulled her closer as he picked her up from the ground and spun her in a circle.

"You are American!" His accent was thicker than Ville's and Lauri's combined, and she found herself giggling as she thought of how much both of them resembled Kari.

Jesse set her down and then moved her at arm's length, looking her over but for once she didn't feel awkward. He didn't look her over in a sexual way, more in a… well she couldn't quite explain but it was friendly and warm and she instantly was taking a liking to her fiancé's younger brother.

"You look like pixie no? With button nose, _ja_ lips so red! Ville, you pick so good!" Pulling her to him again, Micheal-ann full out laughed when he shook he a bit before grabbing Ville who had stood next to them and yanking him in for a hug.

"This will be fun yah?"

"Yah!" Ville agreed enthusiastically to his charismatic little brother, meeting Micheal-ann's gaze her eyes lit with happiness as she nodded vigorously, wrapping her own arms around the two brothers.

"Sooooo muchhhh fuuuuunnnnn!" Both Finnish men were unprepared for Micheal-ann when she yelled out and in their surprise stopped their hugging to pull away slightly pinning the over zealous American with raised eye brows.

Micheal-ann blushed and bit her lip grinning up at both of the tall men shrugging asking with a cheesy smile on her face.  
>"To much?" Ville grinned at his beautiful girl and leaned forward kissing her forehead, shaking his brother in his other arm, in a way symbolizing his excitement.<p>

"Not enough sweet." Jesse laughed at his brothers puppy dog love, and pulled away from the couple, taking a few steps towards the white building, clapping his hands pronouncing loudly.

"Are we ready then love birds?" Micheal smiled sideways at Ville who wrapped his arm around her shoulders turning them towards Jesse, and to face the large beautiful building. She sensed a difference all of a sudden in the dynamic of the situation as she looked at the plaque outside of the front door, even though she didn't understand a damn word.

Micheal chose her words slowly as she looked between the ecstatic Valo's trying to decipher there sudden burst of joy that she wasn't particularly sharing in.

"It depends, what kind of party are you getting me into?" Ville prepared himself as he smiled down at the small trusting woman who looked absolutely sensational.

He'd been thinking of her all day, and had almost given up speaking to the priest that now waited inside, to go and pick her up himself. His skin had smelt like her all day and had made him absolutely crazy when he got a car to take him pick up his brother, being enclosed with no air moving to distill the scent.

With the madness that her absence had funneled into him, he had made a split moment decision and he hoped that with that, it didn't make her to incensed at him.

Jesse glanced at his older brother who flickered his eyes to him at the same time and realized that his older brother hadn't let the adorable American know exactly what he'd planned for her evening. He began to laugh and raised his hand practically shouting in Finnish, his gut jiggling from the laughs that rolled out of him.

"_Et kertonut hänelle, että olit menossa naimisiin juuri nyt?_" The glare that Ville shot him only made him laugh harder as he turned, walking into the Helsinki City Hall leaving his brother to figure that one out on his own as he giggled to himself, crossing his arms again.

"_Olet menossa ylös paska puro ilman melaa, veli_ ." Ville threw up his middle finger at his younger brothers back as he disappeared into the building after holding the door open for a woman coming out.

Micheal-ann watched the exchange and pulled away from Ville pinning him with a questioning look placing her hands on her partly healed hips.

"So what is it that you haven't told me and will most likely get me mad?" Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Ville attempted to gather her into his arm's again and she sneakily ducked and glared at him shaking her hand at him refusing to let him even a bit near her till he answered.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation he finally spread his arms out and motioned towards the building and laid the entire truth on her like a ton of bricks.

"This is City Hall, inside a priest is waiting to marry us, my brother came along because I wanted you to meet him, and he's to be our witness for our marriage certificate. I don't want to go another day now that you've said yes without you being my wife. Without being Micheal-ann Valo." The matter of fact tone he ended with surprised her enough for Ville to finally move forward and wrap his arms around her once more as she gapped in surprise.

Marry Ville now? She'd only said yes.. a day ago? It felt so much longer, but that didn't change the fact that it was only yesterday. How could she have let everything in her life be so jumbled and confusing!

Looking up at Ville's hopeful face, Micheal stared her mouth slight open. She didn't know what to say, and so they stood their Micheal lost in her thoughts, and Ville lost in the fear that she'd refuse.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Lokakuu ja Huhtikuum<strong>_ – October and April

_**Meillä ei tarvitse olla juhlissa varten vielä kaksi ja puoli tuntia. Haluaisitko mennä minigolfia? **__– _We do not need to be at the party for another two and a half hours. Would you like to go for miniature golf?

_**Et kertonut hänelle, että olit menossa naimisiin juuri nyt?**_- You did not tell him that you were going to get married right now?

_**Olet menossa ylös paska puro ilman melaa, veli**_ – Your going up shit creek without a paddle brother.


	20. Thank's sweet'

The Tavastia Club was absolutely packed.

Any attempt at trying to move freely was ended quickly by the expanse of elbows and feet that occupied any free space around the guests. The entire club had dim lighting, casting a kind of shadow on all its patrons, but the lack of lighting had absolutely no effect on the patrons it held.

Several people whooped, laughing as they told some hilarious story about something that happened a couple days ago, drinking loads of gin, beer, and whiskey, while most of the women present clung to a man or two obnoxiously giggling at everything they said. Some stood together in clusters talking softly to themselves eyes cast down, away from any of the loud troublemakers so that they wouldn't have to deal with them. No area was open except for a small alcove that might have been an excuse for a VIP room. Only six shapes sat in the darker free area, awkward and silent within the party around them.

Lauri had tried to hard to get the crazy American's moral back up and running, to convince her that her cousin's choice was the right one but she'd absolutely blocked him out. Even as they'd putted around the mini golf course she'd been stoic to his questions, his quips. He hadn't even been able to get a reaction when he'd been a pervert.

He hardly knew Alexandra, but even he could tell that this wasn't normal.

So after two hours of uncomfortable, silent mini golfing, where he had taken no shame in beating her even in her comatose state, they'd come to Ville's engagement party and sat in the VIP in uncomfortable silence.

Not long after they'd come, the rest of Ville's band HIM had entered inside and had began to question Alexandra like a copper might, until they realized that she was not the American that was engaged to Ville. Clearly evident by the long string of curses she let out when they insinuated she was.

Realizing quickly that the woman wasn't in the mood to talk to them, the band member had turned to themselves and Lauri speaking in Finnish, leaving the woman so sit by her lonesome.

Lauri thought about letting the band know that Micheal-ann's cousin could speak Finnish fluently but decided against it last moment, interested in what the fellow musicians would spew out when they thought they could get away with it.

Burton, with this long brown hair tied into a pony tail and his lips red from the small glass of wine that he sipped at, sighed leaning against the plush leather couch of the club and flicked his eyes to the pouting woman aiming his question at Lauri.

"_Mikä on hänen ongelmansa? hän näyttää hänen tamponi on täynnä._" Lauri literally held his breath as the rest of the band laughed slowly each taking a sip out of their respective drinks. He nearly shit bricks when Alexandra didn't even look up at Burton's words and had no time to think it over when large Gas quipped as well.

"_Miksi ei mene auttamaan häntä laittaa uuden yksi vuonna Burton? Koska tiedät noin tamponit ja heille että täynnä._." Burton stuck his tongue out at the much larger man and would have delivered a quick slap to his stomach had Linde not intervened, a serious expression on his face.

"_Lopeta. Miten noin me kaikki mennä auttamaan hänet muuttamaan tamponi, ja kerran tehneet, Burton voi pitää se tamponi, kuin lähin miten hän koskaan tullut noin pillua._" The roar of laughter that ripped out of all the men present, including Lauri practically drowned out the rest of the club as they slapped Linde on the back shoving him playfully back into his seat as he merely grinned at the rest of him for his cleverness. Lauri felt like he should be defending her, throwing the rest of the men about for even thinking of getting that close to her anatomy but Lauri knew that Alexandra was not the type of woman that needed a man to stick up for her, so he merely sat back nursing a beer that Mige had passed him the moment he'd sat down.

Mige glanced at Alexandra and smiled to himself. He knew damn well that Micheal-ann's cousin could speak fluent Finnish, Micheal had complained about the fact that her cousin and Ville could be talking crap about her as she was standing there and she'd never know.

If the woman didn't want to let the rest of them know, then he wouldn't be the one to rat her out, but he was slightly surprised that Lauri Ylönen, incessant loud mouth that he is, wasn't saying a damn word about her Finnish speaking, nor defending her against Mige's band mates.

It was plain as day that the smaller man was smitten with the brooding woman, but he didn't even raise an eyebrow at the other man. He just sat silent leaving the woman out to dry.

Mige sat up moving his body to the edge of the couch and thought of something clever to say to defend the poor upset woman. He felt for her, and thought of his wife and how awkward it had been for him when meeting her family and they'd spoken Swedish around him. Later his wife had told him they'd been poking fun at his clothes, but not to worry she'd come to his rescue.

Even though she could understand, it was the same principal. Someone should always have someone at their back.

Before Mige could open his mouth, a young waiter slid into the VIP area, and pranced up to Alexandra. The waiter smiled coyly at Alexandra clearly trying to impress the woman and with the worst English that Mige ever heard asked.

"May I get you drink?" His accent was horrible and thankfully the rest of the band members didn't utter a word about the words he spoke, as they watched Alexandra, and if she'd flirt back with the trying waiter.

Alexandra, having been lost in her thoughts, although cognizant of the disgusting things the men had said hadn't felt the urge to join the conversation and put them in there rightful place till the waiter had come.

A smile that could dazzle a charging lion spread across Alexandra's face as she sat up slowly leaning closer to the waiter, who caught his breath and instinctively leaned closer as well as she pulled a hand up, a finger tapping at her lips, a fake quizzical look crossing her face before she began to speak flawless Finnish.

"_Voisinko ovat pitkä lasi Sahti, ja viisi laukausta viskiä miehille. Heidän menossa tarve on jotain pestä makua jalka heidän suustaan ._" Burton, Linde, and Gas's jaws dropped as their faces turned bright red, glancing at one another for some semblance of their blown reality. Mige relaxed back and grinned from ear to ear as he sipped at his own Sahti, happy that she had put them back in there place so easily.

Lauri on the other hand began to roar hysterically, sounding like Micheal-ann with her boisterous laugh, as he spilled his beer pointing to the three befuddled rock stars.

"You know what they say about when you assume. It makes an ASS out of U and Me!" Even Alexandra had to laugh at the stupid corny joke as they waiter scuttled off in amazement, and Mige reached across the table offering a hand a kind smile on his face.

"_Nimeni on Mige, ja sinä olet minun uusi suosikki_ ."

"_Hei__Mige__, __Nimeni__ on __minun uusi suosikki._ "

Mige laughed but before he could say anything else to the now less sour looking woman, a cry came from the front of the club and as they all turned to look caught a glimpse of the couple of the hour entering before they were practically swamped by the masses.

Micheal-ann's breath was literally stolen from her as one moment she'd been walking in at Ville's side with plenty of room around them, and now she was being pulled on in a completely different direction than Ville.

What seemed a mesh of faces collided into her view, and she really couldn't tell where one stopped and began as the din of the club grew, as her ear drums felt like they were tearing apart.

A hand snatched her wrist and yanked her back towards where she'd been, but she knew instantly it wasn't Ville hand doing the pulling.

The hand that gripped her arm, was calloused and rough, with the leather feel that only age could give it and she finally managed to whip her face around from the whirlwind of others and focus on the person pulling.

She couldn't see his face past a wide black brimmed hat, but she could see a black and white detailed bandana as well as jumble of different necklaces around the man's neck. He wore what could have been a Hawaiian shirt but had been outlined in black, with no sleeves at all. He wore a pair of leather pants that put the tightness that Ville's had been to shame, with a pair of pointed leather boots that completed the off ensemble.

After a few moment the man turned, and she nearly hissed at the tragedy that his face showed. He'd lead a hard life, full of drugs and other substances, and his dark eyes pinned her although they were hazed and he half smiled. His nose ring gleamed in the darkness of the club, and he spoke slowly.

"Gotta be more careful, stay hooked to your man woman, they'll kill you if you don't." His voice was deep and his words were slightly jumbled together as if it took him effort to speak, and Micheal-ann realized he reminded her of Jack Sparrow from the Pirates movies.

"Thank you for the warning. Who might you be then?"

"Holy shit, your braver than hell Andy!" Micheal-ann heard Ville before his face popped up to hover over the shorter man grinning goofily and sorrowfully at her as he moved around this Andy to gather her back under his arm.

Micheal-ann glanced about, confused as to why the jumble of people had dissipated and realized they were behind a small red rope, a huge bald man standing to the side of it, glaring at anyone who came to close.

Letting out a sigh, her thoughts jumbled, Micheal-ann gathered herself and smiled friendly at Andy holding out a hand.

"Micheal-ann Welsh."

"Andy fucking McCoy" Micheal-ann grinned at the man, instantly taking a liking to the totally eccentric wacked out man.

The man turned to Ville and began to gabber away in Finnish, and with it, it gave Micheal-ann a second reprieve to slow down and stop for a moment.

She leaned up against the black wall that they were kind of huddled about and closed her eyes for just a moment leaving Ville and the new Andy to whatever they were talking about.

From the moment she'd climbed from Lauri's car, Micheal-ann had felt rushed. Felt like no matter what was happening there was no time, no time to think or do anything. Even as she'd been in a place, been there she felt like the things she used to notice details, meeting people they'd felt like someone had simply written any details out and she'd just gone through it like a ghost.

At this point, all she wanted to do was go home, curl up and think.

_Where ever home is now, _she thought slowly as she opened an eye to glance at Ville who spoke hushed to Andy.

Ville, who in a few weeks time, had changed her entire everything upside down and spun around. She'd been so concerned with bioengineering she hadn't even thought about anything personal, and here this entire fiancé fiasco was unfolding! For Christ sake, she'd gotten engaged to the man she'd slept with after knowing him what, two minutes at most?

She hadn't been thinking clearly this entire time, she hadn't really sat down with herself and thought about what in hell she was doing, and what the future held.

She'd been so wrapped up in the fairy tale of it, in the excitement, _in Ville,_ that her entire logic had blown out the window and she had simply gone with her feelings with no thought to anyone else.

Micheal-ann had begun to think like she had when she was seventeen. She'd fallen back into, if it makes me happy what could possible go wrong? And that sentiment was never, **never** right.

She hurt the one person who'd stuck by her side even though she had no idea what Micheal was going through, she'd thrown her dreams of helping Simon, of helping thousands maybe millions of others with her research away and what was she getting out of it?

_I'm getting Ville_, Micheal-ann realized through her defeatist frightened thoughts, _Alexandra and Simon for Ville._

Her right hand felt incredibly heavy as she opened both of her eyes watching Ville who smiled at Andy and patted him on the back motioning farther into the roped area, where a small bit of a room could be seen.

Andy grinned and turned to her motioning with a hand that had several rings and even bangles on his arm, and she slowly pushed herself from the wall slowly ambling towards the two Finnish men, and consented without hesitation as Andy threw one of his arms around her shoulder shaking her as his other hand gesticulated dreamily towards Ville whom merely smiled like a fool.

"He's saying.. to me that is.. that your not going to be one of those naggy wives." Andy stopped for a moment gathering him self, as Micheal-ann caught Ville's gaze as he continued to smile widely.

Ville knew he shouldn't be pressing his luck at this point, but he just couldn't stop himself. He was on a role with doing split moment decisions, and his thought was hell, it was working well for him so far, why stop now. Micheal-ann had asked him to furlough the news, but he couldn't contain himself as Andy had questioned him about the 'foxy 'merican' that he'd shown up with.

"Lots of blow jobs! Angela can get me to do about anything at this point, so remember lots of fellatio!" Micheal-ann blushed as the older man poked her in the cheek with the hand he'd been motioning to Ville with before forcing her to step forward, releasing her shoulder after planting her right in front of Ville.

"I'm off to drink! Make the most of this newly weds, it' only new once!" With a last flourish of his hand, the eccentric Andy McCoy slightly hobbled towards the room that Ville had motioned to before.

Micheal-ann attempted to muster up the best glare she could, but at this point with all her thoughts jumbled and her emotions going haywire she could only muster up an annoyed glare and a huff as she put a hand to her for head, her fingers sunk into her hair.

Ville grinned half assed as he shoved his palms into his jeans pockets and said matter of factly.

"I couldn't help myself! He asked me about you, and I couldn't hold it in, It just burst out of me. You should be slightly flattered, when it comes to you, I can't help but blow!" Ville waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to alleviate the annoyed look that was now marring Micheal-ann's face.

He moved forward to wrap his arms around her shoulders, and he noticed the moment he touched her that her entire body was tense. Refusing to let that remain, Ville pulled her to him, putting his for head on Micheal-ann's forcing her to look him in the eye and he nuzzled her nose with his own mumbling softly.

"Are you that mad about Andy, or is this whole situation bothering you?" Micheal sighed and angled her face to place a soft chase kiss on his lips, her hands moving up to hang on the arms that kept her close to him.

She wanted to tell him that everything was okay, if only because she didn't want him to feel bad or anything, but she couldn't lie to him either.

"You can't expect me to be completely right with this entire thing Ville. At least not tonight okay?" She gave Ville another chaste kiss before using her hands to pull his arms from her shoulders, but did slide one hand down his arm to mingle her fingers within his own.

Ville felt guilt wash into him, for surprising her with the literal marriage proposal, and merely nodded at her not sure of what he could say at that moment.

Micheal-ann flashed a small smile and tugged on his hand jerking her head towards where Andy had just disappeared.

"I just need a couple hours to think. This morning I was Micheal-ann Welsh, Tonight I'm Micheal-ann Valo. It's a huge change." Ville half smiled and moved closer to his bride again, kissing her on the for head and began to walk towards the back room of the VIP section where he knew his band mates would be, as well as now Andy and Jesse.

Micheal was thankful that he was understanding of the turmoil that was going inside her brain instead of roistering about how she should be excited and all that. It was one less thing that she had to console her running thoughts about and it calmed her enough that she was sure she'd be able to make it through Ville's 'surprise' party without any mishaps.

Entering the backroom was like entering the room holding the electric chair in a prison. Everyone hushed, there voices that had been lively just outside the open door, now gone and replaced with glances to one particular female that sat to the right of all of them.

Alexandra didn't even blink when Ville and Micheal strode into the back room holding hands as she slowly took a long drought from the glass of Sahti she'd been holding, trying to portray that she couldn't care less that they'd came in.

As much as she tried to pretend that she didn't care, the rest of the room could instantly feel the tension between the two woman and had quieted because of it, no one wanting to be in the middle of either of the Americans.

Ville, unawares of what had gone on between Alexandra and Micheal-ann grinned at Alex gesturing towards Lauri.

"I hope your chauffeur was up to snuff. If not I give you full permission to geld him, and if he calls the police out on you just say it's a religious matter." The playful grin he held, faded quickly when Alex finally turned her gaze to him, and the ice within it nearly chilled him to the bone.

Micheal-ann had completely let Alex slip her mind and felt her grip on Ville's hand tighten as her clearly angry cousin turned her attention to both of them. She hadn't even warned Ville what was going on, and she felt horrible as she was positive that shit was about to hit the fan.

Alex placed her glass on the table before her and stood up and as she moved to take a step around it to go to the couple a hand caught her wrist as Lauri warned from beside her.

"_Olkoot onnellisia. Se ei ole sinun paikkasi päättää, jos se olisi keskenään vai ei._ " Alex didn't even look at him as she yanked her arm from his grasp and stalked up to the couple. Her eyes were biting and if anyone could stand to catch her gaze for longer than a few moments they'd see it was really just hurt.

"Could I borrow him for a moment _cousin_?" The formality that she delivered the line, made tears brim in Micheal's eyes as she let go of Ville's warm hand nodding to Alex.

"_Thank's sweet_." Enough to bring the tears that Micheal had to fruition, the mock of Ville's accent and pet name was Alex's last words as she shoved the taller Fin out of the open door, fixed on him like a lion on its prey.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mikä on hänen ongelmansa? hän näyttää hänen tamponi on täynnä<em>**_._ – What is her problem? She looks like her tampon is full.

**_Miksi ei mene auttamaan häntä laittaa uuden yksi vuonna Burton? Koska tiedät noin tamponit ja heille että täynnä_**_._. – Why not go help her put in a new one Burton? Since you know about tampons and them being full.

**_Lopeta. Miten noin me kaikki mennä auttamaan hänet muuttamaan tamponi, ja kerran tehneet, Burton voi pitää se tamponi, kuin lähin miten hän koskaan tullut noin pillua._** -Stop. How about we all go to help her change her tampon, and once done, Burton can keep the tampon, as the closest way he ever came to pussy.

**_Voisinko ovat pitkä lasi Sahti, ja viisi laukausta viskiä miehille. Heidän menossa tarve on jotain pestä makua jalka heidän suustaan ._ **- Could I have a tall glass of Sahti, and five shots of whiskey for the men. Their going to need something to wash the taste of feet out of their mouths.

**_Nimeni on Mige, ja sinä olet minun uusi suosikki_**_._ – My name is Mige, and you are my new favorite.

**_Hei_********_Mige_****_, _****_Nimeni_****_ on _****_minun uusi suosikki_**_._– Hello Mige, My name is your new favorite.

**_Olkoot onnellisia. Se ei ole sinun paikkasi päättää, jos se olisi keskenään vai ei_**_. _- Let them be happy. It is not your place to decide if it should be with each other or not.


	21. Pathetic & Miserable

**Authors Note**

I would recommend listening to 'The Path' by HIM for this chapter, as well as those to come. The lyrics kind of match the plot. Enjoy!

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><p>A further hush fell over the room, as a few precious tears fell soundlessly from Micheal-ann's eyes her arms pathetically wrapped around her waist. Her engagement ring, along with the simple gold band that changed her last name to Valo, were now hidden away underneath the bright lights, there shine no longer present.<p>

She could hear a growl from outside, and words that were whispered but with enough malice that anyone knew exactly what was being said between her cousin and her husband.

Micheal felt insanely foolish, foolish for what she caused, and foolish for simply standing in front of a group of strangers she was meant to impress and crying while her family went after Ville.

Glancing up, Micheal-ann nearly growled herself at the looks of pity that Lauri, Andy, Jesse and Mige were giving her, and huffed softly before throwing a thumb behind her shoulders flinching slightly.

"I believe I should be out there hu?" The men smiled at her sadly, before Lauri piped up gesturing to where her cousin had been sitting next to him, throwing his drink around in what was supposed to be a comforting motion.

"She doesn't mean to be asshole about this, she just wants to protect in her headstrong way." Micheal-ann in her hurt state, had to force herself not to retort at the Finnish man who had known Alex for what, five minutes, and was trying to tell her something about her.

Besides it was slightly hypocritical seeing as she just married Ville after knowing him two weeks.

"I know." Micheal-ann sighed and flashed a small smile towards Jesse, and Mige sitting with who she assumed to be the rest of the band, and turned to retrace her steps out.

Alexandra took a firm stance, her back to one of the walls outside the room of all Ville's flunkies, that including her cousin and literally slammed her fist straight into his left shoulder.

Ville let out a hiss of pain as the smaller woman gave him a solid left hook sending his shoulder practically out of place, as he stepped back with the force, the pain far more because of the surprise aspect of it.

"What is your god damn problem?" The whisper was black and angry as Alexandra advanced towards him, and Ville was sure that she expected him to cower under her scrutiny and raw anger but he'd be just what she said, god damned if he were going to do that.

Standing to his full six foot' five frame, Ville took the step he'd lost back from Alex's punch and met her head on as she literally growled at him under her breath.

Her eyes were snapping with fury but Ville refused to be intimidated by this little girl who was trying to get her way with force. He'd never once given in to force, from anyone, and he'd faced down much badder things than her in his life.

"What is MY problem hullu? Did you not just see what you did to your cousin, let alone me, with no provocation or warning at all?" Ville threw his arm back to point towards the room where his wife was most likely taking what her cousin had just done straight to heart.

Ville moved closer to the heated pixie, and brought his hand back to put it straight in her face a pointed finger nearly touching her cheek.

"Your the only one who has a problem here, but instead of discussing it like an adult, your attacking everyone else hoping that some one will catch the bait your setting in your trap. I'm not going to be reeled into your inferiority complex." Alex gapped as Ville pulled his hand away and turned to leave and she grabbed the shoulder she'd just punched and used her entire strength to send him flying behind her to slam into the wall.

Unlike most mishaps with Micheal-ann, the slam into the wall hurt like no other, and forced Ville's breath to leave him for a minute as Alex stalked closer to him hissing and spitting like a cat that just got water poured on it.

"My problem, is that you're going to ruin her life! You're going to ask her for her everything, because you 'think' your going to love her? She deserves better than you, and if you do this to her, she'll give you her everything. She will let go of her dreams because she knows it will conflict with you. She'll love you, but she deserves some one who will love her fairly. You can't and won't do that."

Ville finally regaining his breath turned and glared at her so viciously it was a wonder why she didn't have a hole smoking in her face. Getting right back in her face with no reservation to that fact that she clearly was going to hit him again if he did, but he wasn't backing out of this one. He'd fight Alex till the day he died if he had to.

"Maybe I'm not good enough for her, but I'm damn sure going to keep trying to be. If that's not good enough for you, than you can go fuck off because guess what? It's good enough for your cousin!" Ville felt smug, as some of the fire went out of Alex's eyes and she took a minuscule inch breather from his force.

Alex had to face that sentiment as she realized he was right. Micheal-ann had just chosen him over her, and maybe, just maybe that was something she hadn't really reflected on.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, Alex returned to her rightful spot, getting right into Ville's grill before she growled out.

"Really? What are you going to do when you start touring again Ville? You going to leave her behind or are you going to take her along? Either way you're going to hurt her, either way your going to be stripping something away from her. What happens if you guys have kids? You going to leave her at home as you go gallivanting off drinking and smoking with your groupies and your famous cronies?"

The wind in Ville's sails evaporated as he caught his retort on the fact that was completely right. He'd pushed those thoughts away through out this entire thing, but Micheal-ann had no real experience with his life and life style.

She was innocent and as much as she might to play tough, she was fragile enough that she wouldn't be able to handle the road, the publicity, the world he lives in.

"I don't drink or smoke." He mumbled pathetically, and Alex gave off a mocking laugh as she forced her face a centimeters now from his falling one, and growled as viciously as ever.

"You didn't think about her this entire time. You don't love her, and you definitely can't and won't if you are going to restrict her from living her own life."

Ville began to shake his own head as he vainly tried to grasp onto the heat and anger he'd had before she'd pointed out that he was going to leave her.

"No. Everything I'm doing, is for her."

"Really? Is this party for her? Or is it because the 69 Eyes were playing already and you'd thought it be fun to see them and get your 'people' to meet Micheal so they could give you their support? You're selfish." Alex knew she was hitting home as Ville's eyes lightened and she grinned victoriously as she planted the cherry on top of the cake.

"She's going to save lives, she's going to do something amazing with her life. Why don't you but out if it and scuttle back to the bottom feeding you've been doing rock star." With a dramatic flare, Alex spun about and moved to reenter the VIP area but before she could even take a few steps a hand grabbed her shoulder and Ville's voice broke her triumphant feeling.

"You're wrong. Now why don't you return to your little hovel across from my father's successful business and stop trying to make people's lives as pathetic and miserable as your own?" Alex didn't even know that she did it until after her fist had slammed straight into Ville's almost completely healed black eye, but once she had all she could do was stare.

Ville cursed loudly and instinctively shoved Alex away from him, sending her toppling into Micheal-ann who was just walking out of the VIP area and went sprawling down with her cousin on top of her with a squeak.

Micheal-ann was flattened by her smaller cousin so easily, she should have felt embarrassed but at the moment the only emotion she was feeling was anger. Within moments, she'd popped up from the mess and was helping up her cousin, a look of apathy across her features.

"Are you all right Alex?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay." With the assurance from her cousin Micheal spun around and pinned her husband with a glare that he'd never seen before. Her eyes were slits, as her fury practically flowed from every pore of her body.

"How fucking _dare_ you put your hands on MY family! You piece of shit, what kind of man puts his fucking hands on a female!" Ville gaped at his wife as he pathetically tried to look to Alex to explain and help him out, which was fool hearted at best.

His eye was beginning to feel familiar as it began to swell and obscure his vision once again, the rest of the inhabitants of the room, filing out to find Micheal-ann barring down on a _frightened,_ Ville, her cousin smirking behind her back.

Micheal literally began to shake as she stared in exasperation, anger and disbelief at the man she'd just married a few hours ago her entire begin torn.

It was so easy when you didn't have emotions invested in something, to preach about how if any man in your life were to put his hands on a woman or you, he'd be done-zo. But something was making her hesitate to persecute Ville further, as he cowered before her his eye wide, and she realized why.

The eye that had almost completely healed was now once again swelling to its previous size, and Micheal-ann understood why Ville had pushed her cousin.

Ville saw the change in Micheal's eyes and slowly moved forward, biting his lip holding his arms out.

"Micheal?"

Micheal felt her soul cry a little as she came to another realization, that the over exaggerated fear that she'd had before was happening. She was having to choose between Ville and Alex.

She gave Ville a small smile before turning to pin her cousin with the look she had been giving her husband, as she pointed to him her voice squeaky and unbelieving.

"Did you punch him in the face?" Alex's look dissipated instantly as she realized that her cousin wasn't on her side anymore and her mouth waggled like a fish gasping for air.

"I, He!..." Her lack of answer, including the swelling Ville's eye was doing was answer enough for her as she began to laugh slowly and sarcastically as she moved closer to her cousin grabbing the woman's arms her tone angry and disappointed.

"You realize he could press charges against you? He has proof enough. This is the real world Alex, you can't run around hitting people because they said something you didn't like." Alex's eyes were focused on the ground in shame, but Micheal-ann was having none of that as she grabbed her cousin's face with her right hand forcing the older woman to look her in the face.

Before Micheal continued her tirade, she paused for a moment as she searched her cousin's eyes. Alex's eyes were full of hurt, pride, and of fear. Fear that she was going to loose her cousin, and Micheal wanted so passionately that her cousin had just come out and told her what was going on rather than letting it escalate into this.

"I think it's time for you to leave Alex." Both women knew she was saying a lot more with that sentence that just the surface, and Alex slowly nodded, tears brimming now in her eyes rather than Micheal-anns.

Suddenly Alexandra's eyes went wide as she pulled Micheal's hand that held her chin away from her face and stared down at her fingers, the tears spilling over running down her chin. Her eyeliner streaked across her skin as her features screwed up in disbelief and she gasped out.

"You…. you got married?" A murmur of surprise went through out the group still behind Alex as Mige snorted, already suspecting as much by the cryptic way that Ville had invited them to join them at Tavastia.

Micheal-ann felt her face heat up as her cheeks turned red, and she glanced over her shoulder were Ville stood touching his eye tenderly, his own gold wedding band bright against the darkness of the club and she nodded slowly.

She closed her fingers around Alex's and smiled sadly at her cousin.

"Yes. But you need to leave now." Alex's tears increased as she again nodded and drawing her hand away from Micheal's pushed past her to disappear into the crowd past the red rope.

Everyone was quiet until Jesse said matter factly in Finnish, wrapping his arms around the shoulders of the two closest to him, which were Linde and Lauri.

"_Tämä oli hauskaa, mutta mielestäni meidän kaikkien tarve ammuttu viskiä. Ehkä kuusi."_

The rest of the Fin's murmured in agreement as they moved to disappear back into the room, the young waiter from before appearing right behind them. All but Lauri began to order from the man, as he went the opposite direction to follow after Alex, and before he to disappear into the masses looked to Ville and Micheal quirking an odd sympathetic smile.

"For what it's worth at the moment, Congratulations." Not bothering to wait for a reply he exited the back room, chasing after the martyred Alex.

Ville let out a sigh, letting his shoulders droop before moving forward, splaying his arms around Micheal-ann as he blew a raspberry.

"That, that was hard." Micheal's body tensed up and she slowly disengaged Ville's arms from around her as she took a step away from him, her entire demeanor exhausted.

Turning to face Ville, he saw by her expression and eyes that right now, was not the time that she needed him.

"I'm going to go as well." Ville nodded and fished in his pocket for his keys but stopped when she held up a hand shaking her head.

Confused Ville pulled the keys from his pocket anyway being careful not to invade her space.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to a hotel."

"A hotel? No, no that's ridiculous. Take the keys, go to the tower, and ill make sure to stay out incredibly late allowing you all the time you need. Heck I wont come home till tomorrow night!" Micheal-ann wanted to smile at Ville to calm his frazzled nerves as he gabbered away, his voice going slightly high pitched as he tried to figure out what was going on inside her head.

She simply shook her head again, and moved past her husband gripping the satchel that had managed to stay in place even as she fell breathing slowly.

Ville watched her exit the VIP area with a gapping mouth, and everything in his fiber told him to chase after her, but just this once he didn't listen as he watched her leaving him behind for the second time.

The only exception was this time, she was his wife, but that didn't seem to change a damn thing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hullu - <strong>_Crazy

_**Tämä oli hauskaa, mutta mielestäni meidän kaikkien tarve ammuttu viskiä. Ehkä kuusi.**_ -

This was fun, but I think we all need a shot of whiskey. Maybe six.


	22. Just Breathe

Ville tried.

He really did.

He gave it a hundred percent effort, and yet he still couldn't shake the sick feeling that had settled straight in his gut the moment that Micheal-ann had left Tavastia.

Literally minutes after his wife had left, he had found himself catching a cab outside, not even bothering to wait for his friends The 69 Eyes to play, he simply just couldn't be there any longer.

He pressed a thumb against the cab's window that he'd climbed in, and grimaced at the streets, the darkness reaching farther than around him.

Pulling his hand away from the window, Ville replaced it with his forehead breathing heavily at the uncomfortable and silent cab.

He watched street lamps illuminate as they passed, a few patrons glance up as the cab passed by in a blur making the entire world a memory. Nothing was stable, everything kept a haze to it as they passed, the night excruciatingly silent and he thought for a moment that the hit that Alexandra had delivered must have knocked his ear drums for a loop.

Scoffing to no one but himself, Ville tried to move the eyelid of his left eye and wasn't surprised a bit as nothing happened, the swelling immense.

Alexandra had been right.

Ville flinched in the dark as he finally accepted the truth that had been swimming in his head, sending away any thoughts of sanity.

She'd said he was selfish and that everything he'd done in the past few days was for him. That was a truth.

When he'd decided to get married earlier that morning, it had been out of spite at the attempt by that Hannu to shake him up, and funny enough the Finnish man had done just that.

He'd taken the bait the man had held out like a starving dog, and had run with it convinced he was doing all these plans for Micheal-ann.

_It was never for her,_ Ville thought as disgust at himself slowly seeped into his chest, laboring his breath slowly, a sense of panic slowly fluttering behind it.

He'd wanted to be married to Micheal-ann because he was so caught up in the feeling of having this person who hadn't been tainted by his life yet. Had no idea of the hardships that came with being a traveling artist, the loneliness, the sleepless nights and sickness.

She was fresh, a bright smile, a beautiful soul to appease his needs, and he'd foolish convinced himself that she wanted the same.

He sprung the marriage on her without a damn thought as to if she even wanted to. He didn't think of her job, her internship, he wanted her and that was it. Be damned if she had a life from before, she was his now and that was all that had mattered in the matter.

Mrs. Micheal-ann Valo.

He'd destroyed her chance without even a thought.

"_Eh, sir olemme täällä_." Ville dug into the pocket of his jeans, pulling his wallet out and practically threw a fistful of euro's at him, desperately clutching at the door handle stumbling out of the car.

He practically sprinted towards the gate, desperately pleading that Micheal-ann would be standing on the door step her small smile directed at him, as she playfully wrinkled her nose and spouted some movie line at him.

The tower loomed above him, the darkness of the stoop like a black hole as Ville's breath grew labored the panic increasing with a force that made it hard for him to even walk.

He stumbled to the gate way, clutching onto the metal, his eyes watering as he gasped his chest constricting in fear and panic.

He couldn't see and the pain of his lungs began to burn as he gasped for any kind of breath he could get and he truly felt the rush of fear run throughout his body moment's before his knee's collapsed sending him straight to the gravel driveway.

Ville felt like a fish out of water, and as the panic became imminent he tried to reach into his pockets for his inhaler, realizing that he'd triggered his own asthma.

Sheer dread enveloped him, as his fingers only closed on the large gold coin he always carried, and not his inhaler.

* * *

><p>Micheal-ann timidly entered the lobby of the <em>Hotel<em>_ Kämp_, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, gripping onto her work satchel.

The workers eyed her with interest as she planted herself in front of the front desk, the receptionist giving her a once over as he chattered quickly in Finnish on the phone.

She felt out of place, her mind and soul screaming for her to turn around and go back to the tower. To hell with this snobby hotel, to hell with the looks she was receiving and just go back to Ville.

The tug was so strong, so violent that it was making her stomach turn into knots as she waited patiently for the man to get off the phone, her eyes downcast.

As much as she wanted to let Ville's arms burn away any pain, any anxiety she was getting, she needed to be away from his influence for now.

He'd been right when he'd said that he just knew that they'd fall in love, hell she was already feeling the effects of being distant from him and that truly scared her.

Micheal-ann had let him waltz in and turn everything that she'd been positive about, and make her so unsure. Her footing on everything was no longer stable and she could feel herself slipping down the rocks back to the bottom of her subconscious.

What had gone wrong? When did making herself happy become such a horrible thing?

"_Voinko auttaa ma'm?"_ Lifting her face, she gave the receptionist a tidy smile, as she gestured to herself, and when she spoke she was horrified to hear the roughness behind her tone.

"Uhm, Do you speak English?"

"Yes, Forgive me. What may I do for you tonight Miss?" His smile deepened when he truly looked at her and Micheal-ann wanted to reach across the counter a smack him for it.

His eyes watered a bit as he forced himself not to betray the pitty that his smile already beaconed out, and Micheal-ann forced herself to look down as she pulled the satchel from her back rummaging inside for her wallet.

"Yes, May I please have a room for the night?" The man didn't bother to answer as he instantly felt the bitterness behind her voice, and began to tap violently at a computer.

"Will you be needing a single Miss?"

She to didn't answer, but simply nodded as she pulled at her small pouch where she kept her debit cards, license and and all sorts of small necessties and placed it on the counter releasing her satchel to swing to her side.

"For one night?"

Another nod, Keeping her eyes away from his own still, Micheal-ann opened the pouch sticking her hand inside to rummage for her cards. Her hand hit something plastic and solid, and she grasped it and raised an eyebrow in confusion as she pulled out a small inhaler.

_What in the world was this doing in my pouch purse_, she thought until she remembered Ville handing it to her the week before she started classes saying that he was sick of it poking him through his jeans and asked her to hold it for him.

A daunting feeling tingled up her spine, but she shook it off and placed the inhaler on the counter and returned to find her cards.

Pulling them from the pouch, she grazed through them, and in horror realized that her own debit card was no where to be seen, but a certain husband of hers card was.

Closing her eyes and breathing in slowly, Micheal-ann palmed Ville's card and slipped the rest of the cards as well as the inhaler back into the darkeness of the pouch, closing it slowly as if something pulled her to leave it open.

"How will you be paying for this today ma'm?"

"Debit card, please."

"Your name?"

"Micheal-ann Welsh." The man smiled at her as she finally pulled her eyes away from the granite counter, and he allowed her to place the card into the palm of his hand.

He glanced down at the card, one hand on the computer keys still, before his eyebrows flew up and his eyes became wide.

He coughed as if he choked on something, and the receptionist opened and closed his mouth a few times before he choked holding the car back out to her.

"Miss, this says _Ville Hermanni Valo_." Not even realizing that her using Ville's card while him not being here might get her in trouble, she opened and closed her mouth a few times thinking of what to say without looking like a jackass.

Realization hit her, and she smiled softly as she splayed her hands out not bothering to grab the card as the receptionist still stared at her as if she had grown a third head.

"That is my husband." The man's mouth hung open as if he was trying to catch flies as he glanced at the card again and then began to shake his head in disbelief.

"Miss, you just said your last name was Welsh."

"It is, well it was. See I got married a few hours ago." Micheal-ann might as well have punched herself in the face, her gabbering getting her no where as the man simply stood dumbfounded now. She simply looked back at him until she huffed, opened the pouch and reaching into the small pocket inside it pulled out a sheet of paper opening it and placing it on the counter for the man to see.

A copy of their marriage license gleamed as the man literally gasped and hung over the counter his eyes bright, his smile wide and excited.

"I love your husband's work! He is my favorite singer!" His accent grew deeper like every other Finnish person she'd met as his excitement grew. Micheal-ann expected him to dance in place as he gushed further shaking the debit card at her.

"Wife! I did not even know he was seeing someone! I'm so sorry I questioned you-" As the man's voice grew louder the rest of the lobby began to take notice and before she knew a congregation had formed around her pushing in closer to get a look at the rock star's wife.

Panic and bile rose in her throat as questions and words flew around her, and the faces blurred and Micheal-ann's vision went hazy.

Micheal-ann couldn't breathe.

Someone grabbed her hand, and yanked her sideway's as some woman squealed about the two rings on her wedding fingers and several different hands clambered to grab onto her own, and the din of the lobby grew unbearable as her ears burned.

She tried to tell them to back off, to leave her alone, but her words were lost in the patrons excitement and the panic rose and rose and all she wanted was Ville.

There wasn't a damn thing she could think of other than Ville, and as the crowd grew denser and her breath became scarce her vision began to swirl.

It only took a few seconds for her body to hit the floor, and only a few more for hysteria to ensue.

* * *

><p>Alexandra swallowed her third shot, slumping against Lauri who'd caught up to her outside of Tavastia and had brought her back to his own flat.<p>

She felt so stupid, so ridiculous.

Alexandra had never felt like a horrible human being before, and if this was what it felt like, then she never wanted to do it again.

"You slow down now no?" Alex glanced at Lauri who had an arm strewn across the back of the couch behind her, watching her with pity in his eyes.

Sticking her tongue out at the man, she grasped the bottle of whiskey that he'd provided and divvied up another shot and made the point to slam the bottle back onto the table as her answer to the taller man.

Lauri rolled his eyes as she grasped the shot and downed it, hissing as it burned her throat.

What Ville had done, although justified, was eating at her and Lauri wasn't exactly sure how to make anything better.

He liked this woman, he wasn't going to pull a Ville and marry her within a few days but he knew that he'd like to be around her, and with it he wanted all of her to be there between them, not off on some thought tangent.

Lauri moved the arm that was behind her to run his hand down Alex's hair for a moment drawing her accusing eyes to glare at him and he merely grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you really trying to hit on me while I'm upset asshole?" Lauri barked out a laugh and pulled his arm away to slap both of his hands on his knees his smile infectious.

"There is nothing better to take the mind off pain than pleasure !" Alex sucked air in between her teeth and set the shot glass down, standing up.

She moved around the small coffee table, glancing at the small flat that was messier than hell. With clothes, boxes, CD's and several other things thrown about like trash, she rolled her eyes to look back at the charming man and took her anger out on him.

"Could you clean for once in your god damn life?"

"I am bachelor. I don't have to impress."

"Ain't that right." The venom behind her answers only amused Lauri more as he to stood up moving to grab the whiskey, and going into the open kitchen to replace it in the liquor cabinet.

Alex chased after him trying to grab the bottle from him, as he placed it up high, she huffed once and then delivered a stinging kick to the back of his calf.

Lauri yelped and turned around grabbing her shoulders and delivered the glare she had practically glued to her face back at her.

"You need to stop now. I get it, your hurting, but do not take it out on me okay? You brought on yourself, and I told you again and again to let it did I not?"

Alex sighed and stuck her tongue out at the man again before reaching up and shoving his hands off her shoulders stalking back to the living room area flailing her hands along the way the hurt practically dripping from her voice.

"I get it all right, I fucked up. Was it soooooo wrong for me to want to protect my cousin from someone who doesn't know everything that she's been through?"

"What if he does?" Lauri leaned against the wall that separated the two rooms and crossed his arms across his chest watching Alex as she stopped in her tracks thinking about what he'd said.

Turning to face Lauri, Alex sighed and opened her arms up leaving her chest open as she sniffled pathetically showing just how unguarded she was at this point.

"How am I supposed to know if she did or not? I had no idea what was going on, all this happened, and she did it without telling me anything! I didn't even know that they'd slept together, one night stand style, till she said it to him not knowing I was there! I'm her best friend and family! Shouldn't she be coming to me, asking me for what I think , or at least telling me what's going on?"

Lauri shook his head and pointed at her, feeling bad for the pain she was feeling but if she was going to face this, than she had to face it head on.

No more trying to be hide behind some false assumption.

"You're still thinking in YOU terms. This had nothing to do with you, it is her life. If she wanted to decision, it wasn't you who would deal with consequences it would be her. This her life."

"But I'm a part of her life."

"And so is Ville." A moment stretched between them, as a few tears glittered down Alex's face.

Lauri moved forward from the wall and closed the distance between him and Alex within moments, collecting the hurting woman in his arms, and although she pinched his skin through his thin t-shirt in an attempt to make him let go, he firmly held her close to his body.

Alex groaned into Lauri's body before opening her mouth and biting one of his chest where'd she pinched him, attempting to dislodge him from hugging her, as butterflies upset her stomach.

Lauri gasped and laughed simultaneously as he wrapped his arms around Alex tighter pushing her jaws into his skin and she squeaked in alarm as her jaw widened painfully.

Releasing his skin, Alex looked up at the grinning Lauri who shook her from side to side.

"Your bite, is not so bad as your bark. In fact, I think you just make me very…." He didn't finish his sentence but preceded to wiggle his eyebrows back and forth in a manner that although suggestive and disgusting made Alex giggle waterly as she wiped her eyes against his shoulders before mumbling.

"This is insane." Lauri nodded and nuzzled her forehead with his nose before saying matter of fact, his arms feelings so comfortable around her small pixie frame.

"You love her, and want to protect, but she's not your responsibility. You took it to extreme yes, and you were little crazy-" Alex growled and pinched him again and he merely tightened his grip on her body once again continuing. "But now's time to mend everything. She does love you, it's very evident, but she loves Ville now to. You either accept, and let their relationship run its course, or you pull away from her, losing her."

Alex stayed silent after he stopped speaking, and simply turned her head down so she didn't have to see his eyes that burned her with the truth and closed her own settling her forehead against his chest.

They stood there for a long few minutes as a car's alarm went off outside, and the light that had turned on in the hallways leading to Lauri's bedroom promptly turned off detecting movement no longer.

"_I've been watching  
>I've been waiting<br>In the shadows for my time-"_

The sudden shift in noise, made the couple jump apart in surprise, and instantly Alexandra's face turned bright crimson with embarrassment as she practically lunged across the glass coffee table for her purse where her phone continued to play Lauri's music.

She cursed foully in Finnish as she frantically searched for the phone, casting a cold glare at Lauri who had begun to laugh at the woman who was freaking out over the fact that she had been a secret fan of his work and he hadn't known.

Finally grasping the small grey plastic, Alex threw open the phone pushing it to her ear as she flicked Lauri off who still roared with laughter his blue green eyes dancing.

"_Hei__, __Tämä__on kutsu__Helsingin__yliopistollisessa keskussairaalassa__. __Voisinko__puhua__Alexandra__Eerika__Walesin__?"_

She went completely still, and with her calmness, Lauri stopped laughing and simply watched her face as she answered slowly.

"Tämä on Alexandra Walesin."

"_Me tarvitsemme sinua tulemaan alas sairaalaan. Siellä on yksi Micheál-Ann Valo, entinen Walesin, joka on ollut myönsi. Hänen miehensä on myös estynyt tällä hetkellä."_

Alexandra couldn't breathe as she sat up on the couch, her voice cracking with urgency.

"Onko hän kunnossa? Mitä tapahtui?" Lauri moved forward and gestured to Alex to tell him what was going on but she completely saw right through him as she stood up slowly before grabbing at her purse the phone still glued to her ear.

"_En__voi__keskustella__puhelimessa__Miss__Walesin__, __joten__jos__voisitte__tulla__alas__sairaalaan__.__" _Not even bothering to answer, Alex shoved the phone shut, looked at a confused Lauri and with the little breath she had left gasped out.

"We need to get to the hospital **now**."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Eh, sir olemme täällä<strong>_**.** - Uh, sir, we are here.

_**Voinko auttaa ma'm?**_ - Can I help you Ma'm?

_**Hei**__**, **__**Tämä**__**on kutsu**__**Helsingin**__**yliopistollisessa keskussairaalassa**__**. **__**Voisinko**__**puhua**__**Alexandra**__**Eerika**__**Walesin**__**?**_ - Hi, This is an invitation to the Helsinki University Central Hospital. Could I talk to Alexandra Eerika Wales?

Tämä on Alexandra Walesin. – This is Alexandra Welsh.

_**Me tarvitsemme sinua tulemaan alas sairaalaan. Siellä on yksi Micheál-Ann Valo, entinen Walesin, joka on ollut myönsi. Hänen miehensä on myös estynyt tällä hetkellä. - **_We need you to come down to the hospital. There is a Micheál-Ann Valo, formerly Welsh, who has been admitted. Her husband is also unable at this time.

_**Onko**__**hän**__**kunnossa**__**? **__**Mitä**__**tapahtui**_**?** – Is she okay? What happened?

_**En**__**voi**__**keskustella**__**puhelimessa**__**Miss**__**Walesin**__**, **__**joten**__**jos**__**voisitte**__**tulla**__**alas**__**sairaalaan**__**. -**_ I can not talk about that on the phone Miss Welsh, so if you could come down to the hospital.


	23. Eve, Apple, Snake

"_Hakulaite Doctor Meribel kiinni kardiologian."_

The cackle of the ancient intercom remained for a few moments after the monotone voice stopped speaking interrupting the silent hospital waiting room.

The wall's were the yellow of old paint, and the stale air made it hard for the patrons waiting silently, their eyes downcast practically refusing to meet anyone's eye, lost in there own self pity and thoughts.

Room's buzzed with electrical equipment as doctors rushed to and fro, orderlies pushing contaminated waste baskets, receptionists calling families of the sick, and the patients themselves each lying in their respected beds thinking, sleeping, waiting.

Everyone it seemed had a reason, a different story as to why they were there, and each person only waited for the opportunity to tell someone, anyone why or what had happened.

Alive, dying, or just sick, all the patients had something in common, all had something in common.

The panic that had been the last thing Ville had remembered before he'd blacked out came back with a force as he regained consciousness, but instead of the gravel driveway warm sheets surrounded him.

His chest felt like an elephant had parked it's large arse right on his lungs, but he had no trouble taking his fist shaky conscious breath. Letting the panic drift, Ville took another breath, this one stronger as he felt each of his body parts wake up and become cognizant to his brain again.

Ville's throat throbbed slightly but as he regained consciousness of his own body, his own thoughts, he silently accepted the fact that with his asthma attack it was expected for his chest and lungs to hurt for several days after.

Now, now he just needed to understand where the hell he was now, when the last thing he knew was simply darkness.

Maybe Micheal-ann had come after all and had found him, and brought him inside!

His excitement forced his right eye open, longing to see his wife's face sleeping next to him, her face smiling at him, her perfect lips moving as she scolded him for passing out like a wussy on his own doorstep.

Instead he flinched viciously as the glare from the white room zapped his cornea, a stab of pain running to the back of his brain as his eye watered trying to adjust to the light.

It took a few more minutes before he was able to open his eye without his eyes watering and looked up to a white ceiling, and a machine that looked over him like an father might his errant child.

He wanted to badly to cough but pushed the urge away as he mentally had to think about lifting his arm, his fingers com into his view and he turned the hand over slowly staring at his pale skin trying to make sense of anything.

"_Sen_?" He knew that voice, he knew what that meant. Who was that voice, what had he said? He wracked his still loopy brain as he continued to watch his hand turn over and over weaving between the white of the room, the surreal fading slowly.

It took him a minute before he could regain his thoughts enough that he thought to let his head slowly move to the side to where he found a long wrinkled face, with round worried eyes, taking the persona of his father.

Ville blinked once, twice before a goofy smile spread across his face and when he made to laugh, he got out one cackle before the coughing he dreaded began and he lost the ability to see as his eyes watered again in pain.

Kari pushed the chair he'd been glued to for the past few hours making it squeal, before he felt ran his weathered hand down Ville's back, rubbing his back comfortingly through the paper gown, as Ville half took notice that he'd been sleeping on his side.

He continued to hack as his lungs screamed in protest, and machines around him beeped with his rising heart rate, and blood pressure spikes.

Ville gasped as the coughing subsided, but continued to wheeze slightly. His vision cleared and his father continued to rub his back.

As he finally came to reality, finally began to have some clear thoughts, he really only thought of one thing.

"_Soititko puhelu Micheál-Ann_?" The words came out one by one, wheezed and hardly intelligible through the phlegm in his throat but he forced them out anyway needing to know she'd be coming, was here, or anything.

Any news would be fine as long as it had her name connected to it.

Kari didn't answer as he leaned across the hospital bed to pick up a small glass of water that he'd literally just poured before Ville had woken and held it in his son's field of vision.

Ville raised his weak arm to grasp the glass of water his father offered, knowing full well that his father wasn't going to say a damn thing till Ville had taken at least a few gulps.

Placing the glass to his cracked and dry lips, Ville tipped it slowly as the blissfully cold clear water washed over his tortured throat, soothing the inflammation by his asthma attack.

Now he needed to sooth something else as he tipped it a little farther to appease his father before lowering the glass, ignoring the tingle of excess water at the top of his lip, and with a bit clearer voice asked again.

"_Micheál-Ann, isä, missä hän on?"_ Behind Ville's back Kari flinched, knowing full well that his son would not like the news that he was going to be unfortunate enough to deliver.

"_Hän__on__toisessa__huoneessa__."_ Ville felt his lips although dry and cracked pull back into a bright smile as he slowly lifted his body from the hospital bed, and his entire world shifted for a moment before coming back into clear focus and he turned his head around to smile at his father.

The smile slid so qucikly he might as well have been having another asthma attack, his father's eyes wide and sunken with worry and anxiety.

He was awake, he was fine, his asthma attack had been minor compared to his others one, so why wasn't his father relieved and calm.

"_I__sä_?" Kari's nose slowly crinkled as he pulled his hand away from his son's back and glanced at the door before mumbling slowly, knowing full well his son was going to flip his lid.

Ville blinked one, twice, and then tore the covers from around his body like a mad man as his eyes flashed in anger and urgency.

Kari made a noise as he flailed his arms rushing around the side of the bed trying to force his son back into the hospital bed.

Giving his father a glare that completely immobilized him Ville looked down at his arms, grimaced at the few lines that had been connected to him and yanked the monitor's patches from his arms, and with grit and a woozy sigh Ville grasped the one that was in his forearm, that was pumping some kind of medication into his system and pulled it straight out of his arm with a grunt of pain.

Trying to push the fact that blood now dripped from his arm in a sluggish movement, Ville took a step, his vision hazy, gasped, sagged against his bed, and then bit his lip and forced his body to stand and his gaze to focus on his frightened looking father.

"_Olet yli reagoida hän on hieno!" _Ville growled at Kari when he tried to grab his arm's to steady him, and threw the tubs and wires that he still held to the floor as the machines began to beep and alarm.

In his rush, as Ville headed straight for the door to the rest of what he assumed was the University Hospital, he growled back at his father in English not even sure which language he was using.

"Over reacting my ass, that's my wife and she got hurt because of me!" Ville pushed away the cries of protest his lungs gave, and the weakness in his legs as he practically loped into the hospital hallway setting off in any direction determined to find Micheal-ann.

Kari closed and opened his mouth before grabbing the sheet that Ville had thrown off and chased after his head strong son, who's tiny little arse was shaking back and forth as he rushed down the hall, the paper hospital gown giving full view of the entire back of his body.

"_Kris tuksen__ tähten sä__ainakin__ peitellä__ tavarat__an noin__sinulle__!"_

Micheal-ann breathed in and out, not bothering to listen to the doctor squawking to her cousin barely registering that she was the one laying on the hospital bed, and leaned her head back against the white pillow closing her eyes.

She felt fine, she was clear headed, and all she wanted was to get up from the hospital bed and get back to FIMM.

Honestly she couldn't imagine a time before where she'd wanted so badly to go to work, to figure out some hard polymer blend, to be around other geeks, to blend in, to be the nameless face behind a scientific discovery.

The walls had bothered her the moment she'd woken from passing out, the glaring white to pristine, to perfect to be real and all she wanted was someone to smear a dirty hand print marrying the beauty of white.

The absence of color. Plain.

Micheal-ann preferred chaos, she preferred late nights with a bottle of booze and a fire pit to dance around, she liked street art, the windows that were shattered from the inside, and the array of posters in a teenagers room. Closets full with clothes the color of neon, hair wind swept from a convertible, words that came out wrong, and one night stands with rock stars. Injuries from doors, fingernail marks, freezing cold towers, and silent baths. Movie quotes that gave a bit of fiction to reality, and rings that could buy out small african cities. Marriages between strangers, and bioengineering polymers and Simon Dufey.

She didn't know what she was fighting now, what exactly she was scared of, frightened for, wanting of.

She wasn't a scientist, not a bioengineer, not a woman, not a Welsh, not a Valo. She wasn't human, she was nothing, she was everything.

Right now, at this moment, she was Eve, she was the apple, and the snake all in one.

All the movies she'd ever seen, TV shows, music lyrics, creativity flowed in succession throughout every pore she had, funneling into something she had no control of any longer.

Everything that Micheal-ann was, could have been, was going to, converged into in a single speck in the universe and blew apart any reality that she'd ever known.

"Micheal?" Alexandra's voice was tender as her hand slid onto Micheal-ann's neck, causing the younger woman to come back to the hospital room, and to look straight into her cousin's eyes.

"Yes?" Her voice was calm and it unnerved Alex, as well as Lauri who sat directly next to the Finnish woman, holding onto her hand.

Alex hadn't moved from the hospital bed since the moment they'd gotten to the University, even after the doctor had assured her that there was no permanent damage, she had simply been over whelmed and malnourished considering that she hadn't really eaten the entire day before in the excitement and constant activities she'd gone through.

Alex smiled at her cousin, sadness behind her eyes as she moved her hand away from Micheal's neck to grasp her hand in her own, and squeezed reassuringly.

"You just looked off is all."

"I was thinking Alex, I don't get to do that a lot any more." Alex snorted and felt Lauri grip her hand and had to bite back the nasty retort she wanted to show at him, as she forced herself to push away her sarcasm for the moment.

Before Alex could even think of something to say to the fragile Micheal-ann, the woman in the hospital bed had sat up a bit more and cocked her head her eyes bright and clear, a calm that was slightly frightening spreading across her face.

"Have you been able to get a hold of Ville?" Alex glanced past Micheal-ann to the heart monitor that double beated, and felt a bite rest on her bottom lip as Lauri coughed and answered for her.

"His cell isn't on, and his father isn't answering my calls."

Every instinct that Lauri had was telling him to run for the hills. That something was wrong in the situation, that something was wrong with Micheal-ann and judging by the way the doctor had scuttled out of the room practically tripping over himself, he knew it wasn't just him.

The only reason he still even sat near the bed was because Alex had a grip on his hand like the hulk might but his forehead had broken out in a sweat, and his heart had begun to race.

Something, what he didn't know was coming.

W ether it be good or bad, he was nearly positive he didn't want to be here when it came down to it.

Micheal-ann blinked once, twice, and then slowly nodded her head before turning her face away from Alex who still held her hand and stared up at the blank TV that was propped in the corner of the white room, the screen the only color in the entire room.

Alex wanted to comfort Micheal-ann but she didn't know why she needed to or what was really happening. Her cousin could leave at this very moment, completely healthy but even after the doctor had said so, she hadn't made one move to get up, dress, leave, do anything.

She'd just sat there.

_Maybe she hit her head and the doctors __didn't test her properly_, Alex grasped in her thoughts for anything that might explain why her cousin was acting so strange.

What could she say when she didn't know what she was supposed to?

"I'm sorry I hit Ville." Alex gritted her teeth at the apology that tasted like sand on her tongue, and the gaze that fell on her from Micheal-ann positively unnerved her to the core.

The usually eccentric girl with bright eyes and a sweet smile, watched her now with eyes so dilated they might as well be black her plump lips a fine line against her face. The calm that rippled across her stoic face, would have looked peaceful on any one else, but because of the constant turmoil Micheal had always held within, it was spooky.

With the spooky look, Alex began to gabber away again as she tugged Lauri's hand closer to her chest, and for once the little pervert didn't try to grope her chest, he simply let her hold his hand.

It was a night of off personalities apparently.

"If he makes you happy, if you love him then I say GO FOR IT! You know? Because if he is willing to make you happy no matter how hard he has to try, I have to respect that, and let you have your own life. I can't be your mother and I can't take care of you forever. You deserve to have someone be there for you, and you deserve Ville. And well Ville deserves you I guess." Still Micheal-ann didn't say a thing, and simply waited till Alex was done speaking before her lips parted in a small smile that sent relief through both Alex and Lauri, if only a little.

She faced the screen again and when she spoke her voice was level, and peaceful.

"I wish my mom was here." That surprised Alex beyond belief as she stared at Micheal-ann's profile, as Micheal brought one of her hands that had been resting on her lap to trace the outlines of the sheets that wrapped around her legs.

Alex slowly stood up, and released Lauri's hand, and he thankfully didn't even make a noise of discontent, as she moved to sit on the hospital bed wrapping an arm around her younger married cousin.

"Why, _joka muistuttaa jumala_?" Micheal-ann smiled at the saying, one that her mother, and the rest of her Finnish family had refereed to her as, and knew that her hurt cousin, a cousin she'd left out to dry through out this ordeal, was trying to cheer her up even know when she didn't know why she had to.

Micheal squeezed her cousin's hand back, that she still held and leaned into her pixie form her smiled shaky and sad, but firm.

"Because for all her faults, for everything that I put her through, for all of the things that I'd said, and she said, she is still my mom. And right now, I wish she were here if only because I want to hear her sing me to sleep. I want my mother." Alexandra's eyes grew misty, as tears threatened to fall and she wrapped her other arm around her cousin and drew the woman in close as her heart hurt more than ever before.

Alexandra rocked Micheal-ann back and forth in silence as Micheal's own arms wrapped around Alex holding her just as close, as all the hurt and pain the past month had caused washed away and they held each other, as family and as best friends.

"_And... and I want Ville."_

Although the whisper was soft, it held such conviction Alex felt shivers run down her spine as she simply nodded against the woman, her grip tightening.

A ruckus came from outside the hospital door, as the sound of Finnish voices rose to create such a din, that neither of the woman could hear themselves think as they pulled apart slightly on the hospital to glance blankly at one another and then to the door.

The door swung open and a disgruntled and harried looking orderly toppled inside, followed by a red faced Ville, his purple eye bulging as he huffed and puffed and blew two more orderly's that had been gripping onto his arms straight into the walls to his side and stepped over the cracked orderly that had first fallen in.

If Micheal-ann hadn't already she would of had a sex-shop-capade, and married that man in an instant as he had the audacity to look at the grumbling jumbled orderly's as if they were annoying flies and wiped his hands against each other with a wicked grin on his lips.

Micheal untangled herself from Alex and practically ate shit as she scrambled out of the bed as a screaming doctor entered the room, trailed by a hard breathing Kari who held a sheet across his shoulder like some new fashion a worried yet goofy smile on his face as he seemed to contradict the hysterical doctors cries.

Ville stood dumbfounded as a perfectly healthy and magnificent looking Micheal stood from the hospital bed, her eyes as innocently loving as he'd ever seen them.

Micheal-ann, although slightly sore from having passed out, didn't feel a damn thing as she moved around the still fusing oderlys that had picked themselves up and were now gabbering into the hysterics the doctor was _still _throwing about, to stand in front of her Ville.

Micheal-ann finally took notice that Ville had the same gown she had on, and cocked an eye brow, and he merely shrugged and took one step forward to wrap his hands around the top her neck and jaw, bringing her forward searching her eyes with his own.

Slowly smiling, Micheal-ann reached up and grasped his hands pulling them away from her face, before playfully letting them drop.

She then did the same to his face, and with a little jump and a whole lot of tippy toes, Micheal kissed Ville for every moment she'd missed him, every moment she'd known that she was being dumb by pushing him away, for every time she tried to run away, and for the future where none of that would exist.

The rest of the room quieted as man and wife deepened their kiss, as the orderlys shuffled out of the room, the doctor grumbling something under his breath, and Kari stood with the widdest, most wicked grin in the world as he gestured towards his son and daughter in law.

"_Tämä olisi paljon enemmän romanttinen, jos ne olivat ei vilku meille heidän aasit, no?"_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sen<strong>_ – Son

_**Soititko puhelu Micheál-Ann**_? – Did you call Micheal-ann

_**Micheál-Ann, isä, missä hän on? – **_Micheal-ann, father, where is she?

_**Hän**__**on**__**toisessa**__**huoneessa**_. – She's in another room.

_**I**__**sä**__**?- **_Father

_**Mikel läpäissyt ulos vuonna se aulassa Hotel Kamp, kun ryhmä ihmisiä käyneet Kongon kimppuun hänen kun vastaanottovirkailija alkoi typerästi huutaa, että hän oli sinun vaimosi. -**_ Mikel passed out in the lobby of Hotel Kamp, a group of people pounced on her when the receptionist started yelling foolishly, that she was your wife.

_**Olet yli reagoida hän on hieno –**_ You're overacting, she's fine!

_**Kristuksen**__**tähtensä**__**ainakin**__**peitellä**__**tavarat**__**annoin**__**sinulle**__**! –**_ Christ's sake, at least cover up the goods I gave you!

_**Joka muistuttaa jumala**_ – One who resembles God.

_**Tämä olisi paljon enemmän romanttinen, jos ne olivat ei vilku meille heidän aasit, no?**_ - This would be a lot more romantic if they were not flashing us their asses, no?


	24. Crazy

The hospital walls with their blaring white perfectness was shrouded into darkness, as the world around slept peacefully in the night.

Nightingales cooed softly from far off trees, and a lonely dog howled to the moon as another joined in its chorus.

Peace had come from the chaos of the day, and now the world rested on it's axis, no longer spinning as the night drew out in time stopping the present for a moment, or at least it seemed as if it did.

Ville's hospital room was clear of what had seemed to be the hordes of people that had come in and out, including his brother, band mates and a few other friends that he'd asked his father to call and let them know that he'd be out of action for a while after he'd be discharged.

Now, now he was blissfully alone.

A smile spread across Ville's face in the darkness, a smile for only him, as he nuzzled his cheek against Micheal-ann's forehead as she slept soundly at his side. Half of her body was strewn across his own, her chin and cheek resting on his chest, rising and falling with each breathe he took.

After he'd plowed his way through practically the entire staff of the University Hospital, Ville had been ready to put up a fight about checking himself right out, and taking Micheal-ann home but luckily cooler heads prevailed.

His wife was given the okay to leave that morning, so she simply told the doctor she was leaving, gathered his hand in her own, and had waltzed them right back to his room, paper dresses open in the back and all.

He'd been amused when Alex had followed behind them, as well as Lauri, cat calling and whistling as Lauri simply called out loudly '_On, että Ville Valo kanssa hänen perse hengailuun_?".

Ville hadn't even bothered to glare at the man and had continued walking next to his wife who strutted proudly by his side down the hospital corridor.

He'd half expected Micheal-ann to blush and try to cover herself up but his American simply began to wiggle her butt from side to side bumping her hip into his as she laughed and smiled at him like she had the first nights they'd been together.

Walking down the hall, Ville squeezed her hand softly and she'd simply smiled without looking at him and had quipped at him as she flashed smile after smile to any that had enough balls to stare at the half naked couple making their way down the corridor.

"You do realize that I have only been to two days of my actual exchange program, and am going to miss just as much?"

Ville had smiled sheepishly at her, and had urged earnestly that she leave, get to FIMM, finish out the day of work, and just come back later and do the same the next morning.

Instead Micheal-ann had instantly gone to the phone in his hospital room after helping him back onto the bed, which he'd voiced multiple times that he really hadn't needed, and dialed straight to Dr. Markku Varjosalo, informed him that she was in the hospital because her husband was deathly ill, and she wouldn't be in for a few days to 'be with him in this time of need'.

Hell, she hadn't even let the Finnish man a word in edge wise after she'd said her piece, hanging up the receiver with a satisfied smack of plastic on plastic.

Micheal-ann snuffled in her sleep rubbing her nose against Ville's neck for a moment, before falling silent again, warm against his skin as well as the hospital gown.

Trying not to disturb her, Ville slowly lifted his left arm to tug at the pillow underneath his head that had gone flat hours ago but he'd been far to content with the feeling of having Micheal-ann in his arms that he'd left it.

He could still leave it in all honesty but why not be as possibly comfortable as he could be while holding his new bride?

His entire body shifted slightly as he strained his abs to keep his body rigid as he fluffed the pillow behind his head, but suddenly his entire body went to mush.

Ville's muscles had relaxed within a moments time because of a very warm hand that had suddenly ran across his lower abdomen, both scaring him with the sudden movement, and sending small needles of excitement throughout his entire body.

Glancing down at Micheal-ann whom he'd assumed had been asleep, now looked up at him with the eyes of a seductress, her rosy cheeks flushed, and her lips pouted so perfectly he instantly began to salivate.

He made up his mind in that moment that he could never get tired of this, of Micheal-ann. Not of her waking up in his arms, not of her face, not of her soul.

Ville grinned his signature wicked grin, as he tried to hide the fact that her fingers that still trailed back and forth along his lower stomach were causing him to harden almost painfully and quickly.

Neither spoke as Ville began to move his legs to sit up, until Micheal-ann let out the huskiest moan that nearly caused Ville to moan himself, as one of his legs that had been buried between her own had rubbed against her crotch.

Raising an eye brow, and attempting to remind himself that they were in a hospital room, Ville stayed perfectly still.

"Ma'm need I remind you were in a semi public area?" Micheal-ann still a bit asleep, grinned goofily before changing up the pattern her fingers trailed by moving them downward until she cupped Ville's already incredibly hard penis in her hand, placing a small nibble on his shoulder.

"Where was that sentiment a few weeks ago huh?"

Ville would have blushed, if not for the fact that all his blood was rushing to a much smaller head as Micheal-ann wrapped her fingers around his length and had begun to slowly and blissfully slide them up and down.

Trailing her thumb across the top of Ville's penis where he was already wet, Micheal-ann began to trail kisses across his right shoulder and up his neck sending shivers throughout his entire spine.

Ville's arm that had been wrapped around Micheal-ann's body, now trailed down the hospital gown to its hem where he slipped his hand onto her thighs sucking in a deep breath at the smoothness of her skin.

In all honesty, Ville was simply content to have lain the entire night with her in his arms breathing and living, but now that she'd started the flame his gut was in a knot with desire and want. He'd only been with her, what was it, two days ago? It felt like an eternity now as he let out a small gasp and moan when she nibbled on his earlobe and moaned directly into it.

With sheer will power because he really only wanted to lay back and let her have her way with him, Ville slid his hand up daintily waiting a moment before he slid his fingers onto Micheal's clit drawing another breathy moan from her directly into his ears.

Taking extra care to be quiet Micheal-ann continued to nibble on Ville's ear and neck as his fingers began to work absolute magic on her clit with his thumb, while he slowly slipped a finger into her making her eyes go wide instantly.

From no where at all, a sense of urgency had begun to grow between them, and needing no further prodding, Micheal-ann simply coaxed Ville to lay on his side as she slid her body down against his own, her eyes intent on his own waylaying her kisses for a moment.

Stopping so that she was still a bit higher on the hospital bed than he, Micheal-ann searched Ville's eyes for something, for anything that would let her know that she needed to run. That this wasn't for him, what it was for her. She needed to know that history wasn't going to repeat itself, because as Ville lay looking up at her with sparkling green eyes and slightly parted lips she knew she wouldn't survive it this time.

Ville waited for the cue, and he saw it when she bit her lip and slightly nodded, and he needed nothing else as he slid his hip against the bed as he slipped into Micheal-ann in with no resistance at all.

Micheal-ann moaned loudly but it was quickly muffled by Ville's hand that softly now rested across her mouth, a wicked gleam of humor in Ville's eyes as he drew his hips back and slid into her again this time at a much slower pace delighting in the way she whimpered against his hand, wriggling against his body.

Although pleasure rose her hard, Micheal tangled her legs into Ville's and used them for leverage as she clenched her lower ab muscles that sure enough tightened her cervix causing Ville to let out a guttural cry of pleasure, and sure enough he found his own noises cut off by Micheal's hand.

Ville breathed hard against Micheal-ann's hand as he kept his on her own mouth as well, his thrust moving faster, and deeper as sheer momentum drew him up the bed to go deeper into her with each movement.

His free hand found her own, and Ville threaded his fingers between hers and gripped it for dear life, his stomach already tight with a vicious knot that threatened his very sanity.

Micheal-ann didn't know why but tears pricked her eyes as they watched each other silent except for the occasional gasp or moan, their hands mirror in both ways as Ville made her his again. They never looked away from each other, not once and never did she feel the urge to do anything else.

Ville wanted to be a man about it, be the bringer of pleasure, master of the universe but he couldn't do it at all as he literally bit down on one of Micheal-ann's fingers to keep him from hollering out as his orgasm hit him like a freight train.

He literally forgot who he was for a moment, as his vision went black and he felt his throat constrict again and a coughing fit take over.

It was the oddest sensation he'd ever felt in his life, as his body struggled with the two reactions, forcing him to emit a weeze moan, and his body to convulse awkwardly against Micheal-anns.

She tried.

She really did.

Micheal gave it a hundred percent effort, but could not hold back the boisterous laugh that erupted behind Ville's hand that still blocked her mouth. She felt like an asshole, but the awkward noise that had come out of her hubby had sounded close to those of a walrus or a seal and she was not made of stone.

Ville's pleasure subsided but he still wheezed slightly as his tattered lungs grasped for air, but he had enough cognizance to look embarrassed as he huffed out from behind her hand.

"Well… that's… one way…. to… go … out." Micheal-ann continued to laugh behind Ville's hand for a few more moments before managing to control herself and reducing it to a simple smile as she shrugged into the covers letting her body relax.

She hadn't finished like Ville, but she had no remorse over it, because honestly it hadn't been for the pleasure. She'd wanted to be with Ville at that moment because she wanted to feel close to him.

Finally the wheezing subsided and Ville was able to see and breath again as he flopped down on the bed beside Micheal-ann.

Micheal shifted on the bed, turning her naked body fully sideways her legs still intertwined with Ville's, him still inside her, and rested her head on her hand as she smiled softly when he opened his eyes to pin her with a look of happiness and content.

He stretched his arms up before mirroring her action turning to face her, smiling a charming sated smile.

Micheal knew what she had to hear from him, at this moment more than ever and with a soft intake of breath smiled again and said softly with as much passion as she could muster.

"I love you Ville." Ville gave her a half smile before leaning forward, pulling his hand from her mouth and pulled up the one he still had intertwined with his own and kissed her hand, before sliding his other hand across her face to bury it in her hair affectionately.

"I love you to." Ville sidled closer, and kissed Micheal-ann softly on the forehead, and pulled a few centimeters away his wicked grin on in full force.

"Didn't I tell you, I just knew we'd love each other?" Micheal simply smiled, honestly to choked up to speak or do anything else other than watch him carefully.

The déjà vu of the entire moment had been absolutely terrifying, and it had resembled her last sexual encounter with Adam so closely to a T, she nearly climbed out of the hospital bed for a breather. Thankfully she'd went against the urge and decided that if history were to repeat itself she might as well bring it to the set now and by her hand.

But she hadn't realized something when she'd set her mind to the task, she hadn't realized that nothing of the situation was like the one with Adam.

This was her situation with Ville, with someone who did love her, and wouldn't dream of using her for nothing other than something to plow into. Nothing Ville had done had been like Adam, nothing of Ville was like Adam, and she loved him for every single difference.

Ville watched Micheal-ann's face as her eyes glazed over the way they did whenever she was thinking deeply, and he simply played with her hair content and slightly ashamed that he'd gotten his rocks off at her expense and here she was the bigger man than him telling him that she loved him first.

He hadn't needed this long, hell he loved the woman when he saw her playing eenie meanie to decide which way to go when she was lost. A smile came as he watched her closely, her red lips a crimson in the semi dark to the room, at the thought of his lost American.

The lost American, was just a memory now. No, Micheal-ann had found him, or better yet he'd found Micheal-ann.

Micheal came back to the hospital bed mentally, and looked to Ville who still smiled at her, his own head propped on his hand, his hair slightly tangled and shooting in a million different directions.

She still had no words to say, and simply nuzzled her cheek against Ville's hand as he wound a tendril of hair around one of his fingers a smile so romantic and sweet that it absolutely melted her insides.

"You are truly amazing."

"Awww," Micheal-ann sighed dramatically, as Ville let go of the curl he'd been winding around his finger, and it bounced into her eye.

"Ow!"

"Oh, shit! Sorry!"

"As tender moment's go," She informed him, "that left a lot to be desired."

This time Ville was the one who couldn't hold back as he began to laugh loudly, the sound ringing just as much as Micheal-ann's had minutes before. Ville moved his arm underneath the pillow he'd started to fix before Micheal-ann had woken up and rested his head down, all while still watching her and still being inside her.

As odd as it sounded, in a non sexual way, it felt absolutely amazing and life affirming to simply be connected to her still, as he ran his hand down her side to rest on her waist, the sleep that had been evading him earlier slowly creeping into his subconscious.

Micheal-ann watched as his eyes still clouded with admiration and happiness began to droop and the smile that had been ever present slip slowly from his lips and she felt her heart softly skip a beat.

He was gorgeous, and he was hers.

Who'd have known that in just a few weeks, well really a month's time, she'd changed up her entire life's plan because of one man. She smiled at the thought as her head still rested on one of her hands, raising her arm moving a strand of hair out of Ville's drowsy face lovingly.

He had known right away, he had told her and she'd told him that he was crazy.

_Maybe we all need to be crazy sometimes to be truly happy_, she thought blissfully, as she let a finger trace one of Ville's eyebrows as he raised it slowly opening a single eye half watching her in a sleep induced daze.

A soft knock came from the door that sent a tremor of terror through Micheal-ann as she glanced down at her and Ville, and thankfully they hadn't pushed off the hospital covers and still funny enough had their hospital gowns still in place, at least top wise.

Ville being hardly half awake didn't even hear the knock, as Micheal looked to see the nurse that had taken care of her when she'd been in her separate room, and reality came crashing back down on her dazed outlook on life. The familiar fear lacerated her heart and she tried with futile attempts to push it away, it remained nestled in her subconscious as the nurse slowly tip toed in, attempting to be quiet.

Micheal-ann watched Ville for a moment longer as his eyes fell the rest of the way and his mouth opened slightly, his feature blank and peaceful. Breathing a soft sigh of relief, Micheal looked to the nurse and smiled softly as she came forward a small film canister in her hand, small circles underneath her eyes, but she smiled blissfully none the less at Micheal-ann as she pointed to the canister with her fingers for a moment.

The nurse, a bit older than fifty, then held up two fingers, pointed back at the canister and then moved around the dark room to place it on the small table on Micheal's side of the bed.

Micheal tried her best not to move but she sat up to her waist as not to disturb Ville's' arm and reached for the small black tube.

Making a small noise, the nurse recalled Micheal-ann's attention and began to demonstrate a person waking up as she spread her arms out in a yawn, and held up one finger. She then pantomimed a person sleeping, clasping her hands together and laying them on her cheeks and repeated holding up one fingers.

With a move that looked very out of place with the woman's old age, the nurse then held up a thumbs up to see if Micheal-ann had understood the instructions.

Smiling, and thankful, Micheal nodded and returned to thumbs up and the nurse pleased with herself a smile growing across her slightly weathered face suddenly looked past her and spoke softly with a tremor of excitement in her voice that absolutely terrified Micheal-ann.

"_Olen pahoillani, jos heräsin et , Annoin vaimosi se synnytystä vitamiineja, että hän oli määrätty. Toivottavasti et mielessä vaan Onnittelut, voit menossa on tällainen komea vauva!"_

Although Micheal didn't understand Finnish, she knew exactly what the nurse had just said, and felt her eyes widen in slight terror and fear.

If it had been the movies, time would have slowed down, and a montage of scenes would have been passing across the screen where all these hints had been but he missed them the first time around, as the main protagonists face was zoomed up on as a look of realization spread across his features dramatic muzak playing the background to top off the drama.

But this was real life, so instead from behind her within seconds, Ville's tired voice answered in crisp Finnish, his tone although astonished held an emotion she couldn't name, and once he finished speaking she felt the bed shift and his warmth leave the bed as his footsteps wandered out of the room.

"_Jos se on kaikkea muuta kuin vaimoni, se tulee olemaan. Toivotaan, että en ruuvi sitä asti." _

* * *

><p><em><strong>On, että Ville Valo kanssa hänen perse hengailuun<strong>__ –_ Is that Ville Valo with his ass hanging out?

_**Olen pahoillani, jos heräsin et , Annoin vaimosi se synnytystä vitamiineja, että hän oli määrätty. Toivottavasti et mielessä vaan Onnittelut, voit menossa on tällainen komea vauva!**__ - _I'm sorry if I woke you , I gave your wife the prenatal vitamins that she had been prescribed. Hopefully you do not mind, but congratulations, you're going to have such a handsome baby!

_**Jos se on kaikkea muuta kuin vaimoni, se tulee olemaan. Toivotaan, että en ruuvi sitä asti. - **_If it's anything like my wife, it will be. Let's hope that I do not screw it up.


	25. Grow Old With You

**Author's Note:**

I want to dedicate this chapter to the ONLY person who's even let me know what they've thought of this story: CrissYami.

Thank you so much hun!

So enjoy my take on a sappy love chapter. - gianna

* * *

><p>"Back off Hannu, it's done. There's no use in trying to cause problems."<p>

"_There's always a use in causing problems, advancement comes from chaos." _Alexandra wished she could reach through the phone and strangle the sarcastic Finnish man that she wished now she'd never set out on her cousin.

True at the time it had made sense to get someone at FIMM on her side, someone who was against Ville as much as she was, but now she just felt like a criminal.

She might as well have robbed a bank with the sinking feeling of guilt that was in her stomach, making her completely ashamed of the actions she'd been taking in the past few weeks.

She'd apologized to Micheal-ann, that much was true but she was far from repentance. Alex still needed to make it up to Ville, if he'd let her after blacking out his eye again, and right now she needed to nitch any other plans for mischief she'd made.

That was proving harder to do, especially with Micheal-ann's coworker who was pretty dead set on making the relationship between Micheal and Ville as miserable as possible.

"Seriously, this isn't a joke anymore, they are married and it's none of your, let alone my concern. Do not make this a tired drawn out drama of jaded love strung co worker after married woman." The venom in her tone was reminiscent of the one she'd given Ville just the night before and it astounded her with the change of events just one night and one hospital visit caused.

Hannu scoffed into the phone and Alex nearly jumped up from her couch, her anger spiking and Lauri who had gone to take a shower at his own place wasn't there to remind her that going after people in anger hadn't gotten her anywhere before.

She shifted on the dark brown couch, to lean forward with her elbows on her knee's shoving a hand through her short hair, her agitation finally getting the best of her as she stood up waving a hand at no one in anger.

"If you try anything, I swear on any unborn children you might have, that they will not be born because I will junk punch you so hard your sperm will refuse to procreate, got it?"

"_How articulate. You should look into teaching English at the university, because you truly have a__ special__ way with words."_ It was Alex's turn to scoff into the phone as she paced in front of her couch, as she kicked at the coffee table trying in anyway to calm her self down.

Nothing was working as she growled, reminiscent of a bear, into the phone.

"Doesn't matter if I'm articulate or not arse-wipe, I still have Micheal-ann and you have nothing. I win." With a smug grin she hung up the cell phone, threw it at the small recliner chair to her side and let out a whoop of excitement as she strutted around her living room making several other noises of excitement.

Shoving her thumbs at herself, Alex pursed her lips as she did a jig and kicked out her legs before whooping out to no one but herself.

"Oh shit, he just got served! Point for Alex, the ender of arguments, the master of the universe!" Alex knew that Hannu had been far more witty with his comebacks, but she felt smug none the less at the slightly childish way she'd ended the conversation because even if she hadn't hung up, what smart ass thing could he possibly say to that?

Alex continued grinning as her excitement slowly faded and skipped into the open kitchen, intending to have a beer for a job well done.

That is till her cell phone went off again, as she was just about the open the fridge, instantly sparking her anger assuming that it was Hannu trying to call back and be an ass.

"Son of a bitch, that'll cost you your first born." She mumbled under her breath as she turned away from the fridge, which took a lot of effort, and stalked towards her recliner.

Grabbing the phone from between the cushion and metal, Alex glanced at the caller ID.

'Micheal' blinked at her from the small front screen and she instantly felt her stomach constrict. She nearly missed the call as she stared at the phone call she'd been waiting for all night, and now that it was morning she almost felt unprepared as she had forgotten about it for a moment.

Alexandra slowly flicked the phone opened and put it to her eye holding her breath after she simply answered.

"Hello?"

"Alex! What did you tell the nurse to do when I asked you to make sure she knew the hide the prenatal pills?" And there was the question of the decade.

Alex knew she shouldn't have done it, should have just listened to her cousin and did exactly what she had asked but this, this situation had been different and she'd made the decision in a flat second with no thought to consequences.

In a way she'd changed Micheal's words as a way to make a bit up to Ville with him not even knowing.

The doctor had come in while Micheal-ann was still out cold and had told her 'kin', that Micheal-ann would be okay, that the younger woman had simply over stressed her body, and her body had shut down because she had practically zero nutrients in her system from not eating and the new fetus that had taken the majority that her body had stored that would have normally kept her healthy.

Alex had sat there next to Lauri, and simply stared for once in her life having nothing to say. Words were a far off commodity that she had no recollection of, and most likely because of the look she held, the doctor had practically sprinted form the room after a mumbled excuse.

She'd simply looked at the twenty two year old, out cold on the hospital bed, and had begun to shake her head in disbelief, her voice cracking as she looked to Lauri who oddly had a calm expression on his face.

"This, this is what I wanted to prevent!"

"And what is so horrible that she is with baby? It will not be bastard, she is married." Alex still shook her head as she had put on hand on the hospital bed her voice shaky still as she gripped a chunk of her hair with the other hand.

"Lauri, I'm twenty six, and I hardly think it'd be all right if I had a kid. She's twenty two!" Alex jerked her head towards Micheal for dramatic effect as she turned her wide and worried eyes to Lauri who simply watched her bent over with his hands clasped together listening to her intently.

"She was only supposed to be out here for six months! She still has four and half left, and after that what is going to happen? Micheal is to fragile for this right now."

"What makes her so fragile?" The question was innocent, Lauri truly didn't know anything, and although Alex didn't know the full story she knew that her cousin had had a miscarriage and that had marred her cousin more than anything else.

Alex hadn't answered Lauri and soon after Micheal had woken up and Alex had surprisingly calmly asked Micheal if she'd used protection with Ville the first few times they were together.

The only thing that had kept her from yelling and screaming at her pregnant cousin, was the cool hand that had firmly rested against her lower back, and kept her grounded and in her seat.

Micheal had at first been shaky and unsure, and answered with blushing cheeks and biting lips until Alex informed her that doctor had come in and told them that she was pregnant.

The moment the word had left her lips, Micheal's face had turned into a mask of horror and tears streamed down in her face in such succession, her cheeks never had the ability to cry.

It had lasted for a while before a nurse had come in to ask her if she had any allergies to certain vitamins, so she could get her prenatal vitamins together. When Alex had relayed the information to Micheal who had just gotten herself slightly under control, the younger woman had shook her head, and insisted she couldn't get the pills outright, she needed them hidden.

No one else could know about this.

Micheal told Alex to tell her to hide them, and bring them to her late at night, past midnight, and to not say a word about her being pregnant, about the pills being for what they were for.

Alex had turned away from her severely frightened cousin, heart aching that something that should have brought such joy to anyone, should have been the best moment in their lives had only brought panic and fright to Micheal-ann. Enough that she wanted to go through it alone, she didn't want anyone in it, and Alex was sure that if the doctor had mistakenly told her and Lauri, not even she would know.

She'd known that when Micheal-ann had been going through the ordeal when she was seventeen, that was exactly what she'd been, absolutely alone, that when she needed someone everyone turned away, no one wanted to listen or help.

Alex had realized that that was what Micheal expected now from this same situation, that if anyone else other than Micheal knew, then she'd be persecuted for it. She was trying to do what all the others had done before, she was trying her hand at self preservation. The only thing was, this was the wrong time, the wrong situation, the wrong relationship.

In those few moments, Alex had accepted that Ville had done nothing to hurt her cousin, and right now she needed to have faith in him, faith that he'd take care of Micheal and that was the best thing she could do because doubting him now would only hurt Micheal further..

Alex had turned to the nurse to bring the pills late and had told her that when she did, that if a lanky brunette green eyed man was in the room, to also congratulate him on his new baby, because the mother wanted to make sure he knew that everyone was excited for them.

The nurse had smiled and left the room with no idea what she was going to do, and Micheal had calmed down so drastically she'd adopted the calm peaceful face that she'd held until Ville had shown up at the hospital room.

Alex knew she shouldn't of done it now, but she honestly couldn't let her cousin set herself up. Now that she was on board with the Ville train, she wanted that man to have every chance he could to make her cousin happy, and hiding a pregnancy from him would only hurt Micheal-ann in the long run.

Alex was pulled from her thoughts as she heard Micheal-ann cry on the phone, and she felt her hackles instantly rise and her heart lodge in her throat as she cooed softly to her cousin.

"Mikey what happened?"

"_The nurse told Ville, and he left!"_

"What do you mean he left?"

"_I MEAN HE FUCKING CLIMBED OUT OF THE HOSPITAL BED, AND WALKED OUT OF THE FUCKING DOOR!"_

Alex couldn't think of a single word to say as she held the phone to her ear loosely, completely astonished and dazed by Micheal-ann's outburst.

Her cousin had never used that tone with her, with anyone before, at least from what she'd been around to encounter and the despair and anger behind it was absolutely chilling.

The anger that followed quickly, was absolutely potent as Alex puffed up her eyes crossing she was so mad. She'd trusted that asshole to do what right, and she was absolutely furious that he'd done just what she said he would do in the first place. She should have never let her instinct be fooled by him and all that mumbo jumbo of love in a month.

Ville Valo had done what she wished she hadn't predicted and it only made her previous anger return full force with the extra that she needed to truly want to destroy the Finnish man.

"I'll be there to pick you up in fifteen minutes, I swear." Micheal-ann didn't even answer her as the line went dead, the last thing Alex heard was her sobbing, and Alex practically sprinted towards her door grabbing her coat that hung next to it and the keys from the small table near the door.

As she rushed out of her apartment, Alex felt tears prick at her eyes, realizing that no matter which stance she took, it seemed to be the wrong one.

Ville finally felt the blush reach his cheeks and forehead, as a small contingent of nurses crowded outside of the windowed area that looked into the room he now sat in, whispering amongst themselves, and he slowly crossed his legs incase his hospital gown was showing any of his goods off.

It was amazing to him that he had performed in front of thousands of people, sang at a hundred shows, but now the simple weight of the guitar in his lap and the few nurses outside of a plexiglass window were causing him to second guess his entire being.

Of course when he'd stalked out of the hospital room, his resolve had been firm, and he hadn't even cared that he had looked like a crazed man running through the hospital walls popping his head into random rooms asking for a guitar.

He had been in a daze honestly, a new daddy daze if it had to have a name.

Everything he'd set into motion, was now rolling with out any true help from him, and now he was going to be a father. A month ago, he had sex with a complete stranger. Now he was married to her, and expecting a child. It was absolutely insane, it was unreal, it didn't happen like this. Good things didn't happen like this.

Of course he could try and convince himself of that all he wanted, but he could not argue with reality because there it was here in full force.

Now, now he had to learn to be a husband and a father in quick succession, and that scared him to death. Yet, he couldn't wait for either experience, and honestly he couldn't hold it against Micheal-ann for not telling him right when she'd learned that she was pregnant.

He was surprised that the nurse had slipped up and said something to him, considering how secretive she'd come in with a god blasted film canister, rather than a pill bottle.

Maybe I should have reassured Micheal before I left.., Ville thought for a moment before shaking the small feeling of apprehension off and slowly shifting the guitar to the left side of his legs leaning forward towards the small PA system that another night shift nurse had shown him.

Ville wanted to do something extraordinary for Micheal, so that she knew that she wasn't going to be alone this time around, that she was his for her to do whatever she wanted with.

He even had the thought of quitting touring all together, he'd make music and play shows around Helsinki but the thought of leaving her alone with his baby made his stomach turn. He didn't know what he was going to decide but right now he knew he had to do something big.

Clearing his throat, as his heart thumped against his chest, Ville leaned closer to the PA and flipped the switch that turned it on and flinched as a screech ran through the hospital for a few seconds.

It quieted down, and Ville cleared his throat and mumbled a soft sorry into the small microphone before envisioning one of his hero's and made his voice a bit more raspy.

"_Good afternoon, everyone. We're flying at 26,000 feet, moving up to 30,000 feet, and we've got clear skies all the way to Las Vegas. Right now, we're bringing you some in-flight entertainment. One of our first class passengers would like to sing you a song inspired by one of our coach passengers. And since we let our first class passengers do, pretty much whatever they want, here he is..."_

The halls of the hospital were full of Ville's voice, as those who understood English perked up in confusion at what was being said considering that they were not in an ainrplane, and those who only understood Finnish just looked plain confused.

Micheal-ann's sobs dissipated the moment she heard her husband voice on the loud speaker being funneled through out the halls and nearly broke her neck jumping from the side of the bed where she cried to throw her self into the halls listening as Ville quoted a movie.

Pulling away from the microphone after delivering the monologue perfectly, Ville strummed once at the unfamiliar guitar, sent a prayer up to every god known to man, took a deep breath, and began to sing into the PA system.

"_I wanna make you smile,  
>Whenever you're sad.<br>Carry you around when your arthritis is bad.  
>All I wanna do,<br>Is grow old with you"_

The smile that grew across Micheal-ann's face hurt her cheeks, as they finally gained the opportunity to dry as she stared up in wonder at one of the small boxes that delivered Ville's beautiful voice, and with each word he sang she began to laugh in joy.

"_I'll get you medicine,  
>When your tummy aches.<br>Build you a fire if the furnace breaks.  
>It would be so nice,<br>Growin' old with you"_

Ville's hands were shaking as the nurses outside of the windows were now hugging each other swaying from side to side with the simple guitar and tune, but he kept his voice light as he rounded into the third verse.

Micheal wrapped her arms around herself, spun once in the hallway and then set out to find where ever Ville was and show him exactly how much he meant to he after this as people filed out of their room chatting to each other excitedly over the song, and of the beautiful woman streaking through the halls.

"_I'll miss you, kiss you  
>Give you my coat when you are cold.<br>Need you, feed you.  
>I'll even let you hold the remote control"<em>

Alex practically sprinted into the University Hospital but stopped dead in her tracks, the same as everyone else, when she heard Ville's voice funneling through the PA system and her jaw dropped.

Was that… yes it was! It was the damn Adam Sandler song from 'The Wedding Singer'!

The same nurse that had brought in her prescription waved Micheal-ann down and grabbed her hand pulling her towards a small staircase, and Micheal-ann merely followed sprinting up the steps behind the woman.

"_So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink  
>Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink<br>Oh I could be the man,  
>Who grows old with you"<em>

The nurse had more stamina than Micheal as she struggled to keep up, rushing through what seemed a hundred more corridors till they burst through to one of the main lobby's where straight across the room, that was crowded with other nurses, orderlies, and even doctors, behind a plexi glass window sat Ville strumming at a guitar.

Glancing up for the last line of the song, Ville couldn't have missed his girl if he tried, as at the very back of the crowded room full of white lab coats and multicolored scrubs, curls sticking every which way and bright green eyes she smiled just for him, and he smiled back, meaning every word.

"_I wanna grow old with you."_


	26. Jailbird Blues

Ville tried his hardest to stand still as the much shorter and pudgier man behind the bullet proof glass began to type away at the plain computer, the screen facing only him.

He knew that bouncing around or even trying to rush the man would only result in taking longer and at this point he didn't want to do that at all, lest he end up as a roommate to his wary bride.

The entire room he stood in smelled of ammonia, bleach, and pure annoyance, as several other not so jolly looking people sat in seats away from each other, glowering at the floor and the ceiling the anger evident on there faces.

He looked completely out of place if not because he was wearing the black leather pants he finally had gotten Micheal-ann out of, and his equally black expensive pea coat, with no shirt on, then for the fact that he had the wickedest smile present on his face that seemed to beam in the dreary room.

"_Mr. Valo, voitteko mennä ovelle, me aiomme antaa teille hetken kuluttua._" Ville simply nodded and turned away from the large front desk window, and took the few steps needed to stand before the huge grey door that would lead farther into the facility, positive that beneath that paint the door was made of cast iron.

Stuffing his cold hands into the pockets of his pea coat, he rested on his heels, until a loud buzzer like sound came from behind the door, and it swung open to show the squat man motioning for him to continue forward and into the glaringly white hall.

_What is with these places and white_, he thought amused as he fluidly moved past the man and the door, pausing only a for a moment to let the man to move in front of him and lead him farther into the very hostile feeling area.

Of course Ville would have rather been home snuggling with Micheal-ann, no matter how ecstatic he was over the reason for being here, but considering that the urgent call from the Helsinki penal system had gotten him out of a heated call with his record label, he hardly could complain.

The man placed a code into another iron door, and when it swung open he was greeted by a stench he couldn't explain as anything other than piss and vomit, as well as voices that began to yell obscenities is Finnish, and Swedish. On both sides of a somewhat narrow walk way, were iron bars that split into several cages that held an assortment of men and woman that looked worse for wear. Some were propped against walls and seats, passed out, while others were actively barking at him there hands pointing, reaching and making several gestures that he didn't even bother to pay attention to.

Instead the panic that the phone call had first delivered him hit him again, as he began to move farther in to the cage room, trying to find his innocent smile, and wide green eyes.

He didn't really have to look very hard, considering at the very back of the particular holding area, a conglomeration of nearly eight men in uniform stood before the last cage on the right chattering excitedly amongst each other holding slips of paper, and grinning smiles.

Sure enough behind the entirely black uniforms, and black bars, stood his wife, in a pair of khaki slacks and a white long sleeved blouse tucked in, smiling as she slowly wrote something on a slip of paper one of the officers had just handed her.

Micheal was the only one in the last cell, and that dimmed his panic as his wicked grin returned in full force, sliding past the squat man who had faltered confused to see so many of his officers in one place.

"_Mitä__helvettiä__teet__, __ihannointi__rikollisia__?"_ Ville should have let the remark pass, but he turned back towards the receptionist officer, and growled out nice and low, causing the man's toad like face to constrict and his eyes go wide.

"_Että__vaimoni__puhut__, __niin__olisin__katsella__mitä__sanot__, __sir__."_ The officer didn't even bother to open his mouth again as he simply motioned with his hand towards the other officers who had now turned to gawk at them, and made a grunt which sent all but one of the men backing away.

Micheal-ann handed the man who had stayed behind the slip of paper she still held, and then leaned against the iron bars, giving him a beautiful smile just for him, she raised her hands to wrap around two of the bars on either side of her face, her right hand bandaged.

Smiling at her disheveled husband, Micheal felt all the anxiety she'd been feeling race off, and simply pushed the sorrow that would forever be present in her heart because of her rash and stupid reactions down, and spoke softly.

"It seems I've found myself in a bit of a pickle."

"A pickle seems to be the understatement of the years."

Micheal-ann grinned and blushed endearingly as she shrugged and pulled her right hand down to her side as she motioned towards the bars with her head.

"So, are you going to bust me out?" Ville grinned and although the short man was already barking the orders to one of the men, who moved forward with a thick set of keys he grinned as he crossed his arms across his chest the humor dripping from his every pore.

"You really ought to have listened to your own advice, but I don't know, this whole jailed pregnant wife routine going on, is pretty god damn sexy"

"Shut the hell up Ville. Sir I'd wait a moment if I were you, I need to puke."

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier That Day<strong>

Three weeks after both Micheal-ann and Ville had gotten discharged from the hospital, and Micheal-ann was finally feeling like everything from all sides of her life were finally coming together and meshing.

Alexandra had been at her side throughout the entire time, finally accepting Ville, and oddly he had almost instantly forgiven her for punching him in the eye. She'd come over a couple nights out of each week, for dinner or they'd go out to eat, or to a show.

Micheal-ann had been not so secretly ecstatic at how more than two thirds of those visits were accompanied by Lauri, who with his calm caustic and often vulgar humor kept her hardheaded cousin in place.

Her work at FIMM was finally looking up, as the polymer she'd brought over with her from Vassar was finally beginning to show the signs that it could take the place of damaged cells, creating a bioengineered basis and cure to create molecular restoration.

Ville had gone back to the studio, to begin to write another album with the rest of his band, that had taken to her like a venus fly trap to flies, taking her under their wings welcoming her to their circle.

True to his word though, everyday he was outside the FIMM building when she was done, and offered her the same choices: To come back to the studio with him, to go home, or to run off for the day with him to do something destructive and incredibly worth it.

She'd always laugh and chose the first of the three, and spent the afternoon's and early nights curled on a couch that was in the studio, doing her work and listening to the far off bickering and collaboration of HIM.

Micheal-ann hadn't had anything ever go so smoothly, and she hadn't wasted her time in fretting about it, she'd merely accepted it and had placed her belongings within Ville's massive tower, and felt content either way.

She'd woken that morning with the worst headache she had ever experienced, and as she attempted to untangle herself from Ville's arms it had only worsened. Her movement's seemed to send waves of nausea to her stomach as she groaned loudly into the black of the room her eyes open simply out of habit of being awake.

"How about we wake up the entire neighborhood since you did such a great job on me?" The grogginess in Ville's voice didn't mask the slight annoyance it still held as the arm that had been wrapped around her waist protectively tightened, holding her immobile as her head thumped viciously with each word.

She would have simply lain back down with him, had her stomach not gave a not so nice feeling roll, and without a moment hesitation reached down, and pinched Ville's arm.

He let out a yelp as he let her go, and she did the most unattractive and ungraceful roll from his arms and sheets as she half staggered half ran out of the room, and down the hall to the bathroom, where she hardly made it in time before her stomach unloaded itself.

In the back of Micheal-ann's mind she cursed Ville, and cursed every single doctor she'd seen in the past few weeks that had told her that morning sickness was normal and not _that _unpleasant.

Her doctors had all been men, and that should have been her first clue to that whole myth of 'not that unpleasant'.

A warm hand smoothed her tank top against her back, as another held her hair back away from the rim on the black toilet, as she wheezed unattractively into the porcelain throne, her stomach giving off a few more lurches and rolls before her sickness spookily disappeared as if she had never been sick in the first place.

"I'm done." Her words were gurgled and rough, as she slowly began to lift her self with the help of Ville, as he let her hair go, wrapping his arm instead around her hips as she trudged to the sink.

She turned the spigot on, letting it run for a few moments before she cupped her hand underneath the water and rinsed her mouth out a few times. Ville silently stood behind her, one of his hands still rubbing at her back, as she felt his eyes watch her carefully.

Standing up straight, turning off the water, Micheal-ann glanced into the bathroom mirror, where she and Ville's reflection were positively comical.

Her cheeks were flushed, her face pale underneath her tan, her curls knotted and ratted, while Ville's eyes were hardly open, heavy with sleep, his hair positively sex as it pointed every which direction.

She smiled despite the rude awakening and nudged Ville with her hip, as he rested his chin against the top on her head.

"Well, I think that was a 'good morning' to us."

It took little, to no time for Micheal-ann to be ready and down by the kitchen sipping at a small cup of blueberry juice, as Ville sat at the small bar nursing a mug of coffee, that she cast longing glances at every few seconds, still half awake.

He had insisted that he, as the man of the household, and father of said unborn child, should drop his wife off at work, no matter how early. Micheal-ann hadn't attempted to try and argue with him, and he didn't bother to complain.

It was nice to have someone to cuddle up to for the ride to FIMM, and Ville gave her a sense of comfort and calmness that she often needed now in the morning especially with the nearly constant morning sickness.

By the time she'd finally gotten into FIMM, and thrown her over coat, and bag into one of the lockers, she was wide awake and alert, ready for the biggest day she was going to have since shed gotten here.

Today she was going to have a lab supervised by Dr. Varjosalo, where she'd finally get to prove her worth, and show the polymer she'd created in action working on the harmed and dying tissue cells of a patient being copied and replaced by the smart enzymes.

Throwing on her lab coat, and practically skipping out of the locker room, she ran smack dab into Hannu.

Hannu grunted and with a very clumsy move attempted to step out to steady himself but instead caught one of his feet on the other, and plummeted straight to the ground with a continuous grunt of dismay.

The moment he connected to the ground, and laid still, Micheal-ann burst out laughing, the entire hallway of the usually very quiet official building full of boisterous laughter that filled every inch of it.

"I am SOOO sorry Hannu!" The taller Finnish man had been absolutely ghost in the past few weeks, and the few times she had seen him, he'd merely smiled and then scampered away from her like she was plague.

It had hurt her feelings but she'd pushed it back simply as that he was busy or that he had taken whatever Ville had asked Lauri to say to him to the heart. She hoped profusely that it was the former, considering she really liked Hannu and she missed hearing his funny quips and jokes.

Not to mention she really hated sitting on her lunch break, either alone or bombarded by the few workers who still felt the need to ask her about Ville and if it was true what the papers said and she was his wife?

Ville and her agreed almost instantly that for now, keeping the marriage a bit of a secret was the best route to go, because once it was out in full, she'd be overwhelmed by tabloids etc. and he didn't want that so early in the pregnancy, just in case it would cause any harm.

So instead she had merely shrugged and said that they were simply a couple and that was really all, anything else she had to say was private and that, no offence but it was none of their business.

Still laughing, Micheal leaned down to grasp the back of Hannu's arm and pulled softly in an attempt to help him up from the floor.

"I guess we were bound to do that sometime considering we've been practically strangers for weeks now!" Her tone was light and full of openness and smiles, but that was quickly thrown out the window, as Hannu jerked his arm away from her touch and he stood up to his entire height, towering over her.

Confused as hell, she stepped back gathering her hands together and under her chin, she stared at the eerily still Hannu who faced the wall, and not her.

Micheal couldn't tell what the hell he was thinking, his back simply tense, his face turned away, but even she knew better than to try and touch him again.

Out of pure reflex she dropped her arms to wrap around her stomach, the simple gesture calming her nerves, as she piped up again this time her words clipped and demanding.

She didn't like any person jumping or jerking at her, because she didn't play those god damn games. If something was wrong, then you better be ready to talk about it then and there or that was the end.

"Do you have something you need to tell me Hannu, or are you going to face the wall, and act like you can't hear me?" He still stood absolutely still, and without a peep coming from him, Micheal accepted his decision and shrugged only to herself before turning on her heel, and began to walk down the path to the labs.

"You married him." Micheal stopped in her tracks as she glanced over her shoulder to see that Hannu now faced her, his face eerily calm, spookily tranquil, considering he'd just spoken with such malice a moment before.

"Yes, yes I did." With her answer Hannu suddenly burst into action, as he stomped his way down the hallway, stomped on the linoleum, stomped on the lines of the squares that angered the bears, stomped straight up to her, and landed the wettest most forceful kiss she'd ever received straight onto her lips.

The kiss, well, the kiss hurt.

It was nothing like Ville's kisses, which stuck her feet to the floor and sent shivers through out her body no matter what method or pressure he had used. This kiss felt like stone was pushing against her face, and with it bruised her bottom lip, as the stone seemed to bite at it.

With cry of pain that was muffled quickly by Hannu who practically refused to hear it, Hannu's arms wrapped around her shoving her body into his own, as his misplaced hip went straight into her stomach which sent her straight into frenzy.

Micheal-ann wasn't by any means weak, hell she'd been the water polo team captain all four years she'd been in high school, so with another cry against the stone of his horrible kiss, she bit his tongue.

She tasted metal as Hannu screamed and pulled away from her, releasing her, and not with her arms and legs free, Micheal sent a kick straight to his lower stomach, sending him to his knee's as a few small trails of blood glittered down his chin as he cried out.

Adrenaline rushed through out her body, and although Micheal knew she shouldn't have she slapped Hannu so hard, her hand went numb. Blood spurted from Hannu's lips as his face jerked to the side and she backed up.

Her breathing was hard as she stood in front of the kneeling Hannu, and felt a sense of sick satisfaction fall over her, feeling superior to the pathetic man in front of her.

_Psht men are stronger yah right, I'm pregnant AND just kicked ass. Let's see Danny Bonaduce do that,_ She thought wickedly as she used her numb hand to push the curls that had fallen out of her butterfly clip behind her ear, huffing loudly once.

"That was stupid." If it had been any place other than the hallway of her work place Micheal might have been cognizant to the fact that maybe she should be calling for help, asking someone to witness what was happening, but instead unbeknownst to her someone in the room to their left had called the police the moment she'd glanced out of the small window of her room and seen the American 'take down' Hannu several minutes ago.

The smugness slowly fell away, as the shakes set in over Micheal's limbs as she backed away from Hannu farther as she felt sick to her stomach, as she glanced at the droplets of blood on the clean white linoleum floor.

Sure enough, her stomach rolled and she emptied the blueberry juice she had downed right onto the white floor, her eyes watering as the acid burned her throat.

"You fucking bitch, I'm going to laugh when he fucking leaves you! I'm going to do my fucking best to make your life fucking hell" The hoarse yell Hannu gave should have only amused her, should have had her laughing at the absurdness of the words, but for once she didn't want to be the bigger person.

She'd let Adam, and his family tear her down, and she'd let her family do the same, calling her all sorts of names as well as attacking everything she was involved in and she'd done so in silence, had accepted it, had let everyone get their say in but her.

Not this time.

Micheal-ann turned away from the wall she had leaned up against as she threw up, and slowly lifted her right hand to wipe away to small remnants of throw up from her lips, now taking her turn to stand up to her full height.

"Well, your best better get a hell of a lot fucking better, or you are gonna feel a hell of a lot fucking worse." With the solid movie quote under her belt, Micheal raised her fist and slammed it so hard into Hannu's temple he dropped like a fly, and her hand went forever numb with pain.

* * *

><p>"I think this will be a good story to tell our child when it's old enough to understand that his mother is a badass."<p>

"Shut up Ville."

"I'm just saying, this is one for the history books."

"Shut up Ville."

Micheal-ann sidled into Ville's arms as he walked them out of the large police station, her bandaged hand throbbing slightly, and let out a small sigh of exhaustion and pain.

"So when are you going back to work? You put on suspension?"

Micheal-ann's grip on Ville's waist tightened as she kept her eyes locked forward and as they moved towards the black private car that Ville had taken to using now, She shrugged.

She'd made her bed, now she was going to lay in it, she just didn't know what that entailed now.

"Permanent suspension."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mr. Valo, voitteko mennä ovelle, me aiomme antaa teille hetken kuluttua<strong>__. - _Mr. Valo, can you go to the door, we're going to let you in in a minute.

_**Mitä**__**helvettiä**__**teet**__**, **__**ihannointi**__**rikollisia**__**?**_ – What the hell are you going, glorifying criminals?

_**että**__**vaimoni**__**puhut**__**, **__**niin**__**olisin**__**katsella**__**mitä**__**sanot**__**, **__**sir**_. – That's my wife you're talking about, so I'd watch what you say, sir.


	27. The Final Decision

**Author's Note:**

Readers, this is the last chapter of 'The Lost American'.

I will of course come out with one further chapter that will be the Epilogue, but this is the ending of the grand love story between Micheal-ann Welsh and Ville Valo.

I want to thank those, who stuck around with my weird writing, as well as vulgar writing.

I hope that you have enjoyed the story, and will return to read the stories that will follow this one!

Thank you once again for reading, and I hope you love the ending.

-gianna.

* * *

><p>"Hei?" Micheal-ann leaned back against the leather of the car that Ville had rented, as the man in question pulled the vehicle away from the Helsinki police station, speaking into her cell phone that had begun to ring the moment she'd gotten settled in the car.<p>

"_Hello, This is the Melissa from the Foreign Exchange student office at Vassar, am I speaking with Micheal-ann Welsh?"_ Her entire body going rigid, Micheal glanced at Ville who, having not turned on any kind of radio or had the windows down, could hear what was coming out of the receiver and was now glancing at her.

She knew she'd get this call, especially with what she'd done to Hannu.

She'd been shameless when the police had rushed into the bioengineering building, finding her sitting on a set of stairs a bit off to where the still passed out Hannu lay. They hadn't needed to ask her a damn question because they moment they'd stopped at the fainted man, she'd stood up, put her arms behind her back and had said as pretty as you please.

"Hello, My name is Micheal-ann, I'll be your attacker today. If I were you, I'd have a trashcan in whatever car you'll be putting me in, because being two months pregnant is definitely not working out to well on the morning sickness side."

They'd arrested her out of pure obligation but once at the big house, she'd explained the situation and the translators had told her that she was acting on self defense and would not be charged with assault.

That hadn't mattered for her exchange program leader, as she'd been kindly escorted out of the now crowded FIMM building, who had shown up and had begun to berate her in front of the crowd in Finnish, trying to get his jollies off that the American was worthless yada yada, and in English then told her simply that she was no longer allowed back into the FIMM building as well as the entire university campus.

At the time, she'd been smug about it, but after an hour or so in the cell, she'd felt the full effect of what her rash decision had caused.

Ville had been right when he had said she should have listened to her own advice, the advice she'd given her cousin nearly a month before, after Alexandra had decked Ville in the face. She point blank told her that she couldn't go hitting people just because they said something she didn't like.

Well, she had turned out to be the biggest hypocrite, and because she'd been stupid she'd ruined the incredible chance she'd been given to study, do research, and advance bioengineering at FIMM.

All because Hannu had kneed her in the stomach and had set off a maternal instinct she had always had before but had come forth ten fold in the moment.

What did she have to show for it? Her research no longer accepted at FIMM, and three fractured fingers.

"_Hello, Miss. Welsh?"_ The woman's voice brought her back to reality as Micheal sat up in the cars seat, leaning her elbow onto her knees.

"Yes, This is her, well Mrs. Valo, but- just forget it- Yes, This is Micheal-ann Welsh." Her nerves were getting the best of her as she fumbled her words.

The woman on the end of the line made a noise that sounded far off, convincing Micheal that she'd pulled away to snicker, and although she felt anger course through her, she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice in one day.

"_Miss. Welsh, We've just received an email from your instructor in Helsinki, that he no longer agrees to you being under his supervision, and in fact implores that we discontinue your attendance all together in our bioengineering program at Vassar."_

Micheal-ann's blood ran cold as she nearly flung herself back against the seat, her eyes wide, her lips pulled into a straight line as she listened to the harsh voiced female on the other line.

"_Now we didn't fully understand, and before calling we took a look back your impeccable transcripts, flabbergasted at what the problem is."_ If she'd been a dog Micheal-ann's hackles would have been raised at the woman's smug tone, flabbergasted her self as to why this woman was giving off such a rude tone behind her fake authoritive speech.

Taking a deep breath as Ville's hand that had been resting on the shift now rested softly on her knee squeezing affectionately, she calmed a slight degree as she fed her voice into the phone.

"My transcripts are impeccable, because I AM amazing-" Micheal faked a cough, and Ville cast her a look, one of his eye brows arched as he shook his head at her childish quip. "-excuse me, I had something in my throat. I had an incident with one of the other students also working in the bioengineering program in Helsinki, where he had sexually harassed me, and I responded with self defense."

The woman on the line snorted, and Micheal-ann literally had to hold back to curses that would let the nasty woman know exactly what Micheal-ann thought of her.

Ville squeezed harder and whispered underneath his breath as he took a quick left, only have his attention on the road.

"Easy, sweet. No need to piss off everyone today." Even Ville's words irked her, but she pushed it off as the nasty vixen began to speak again, her words matter of fact and blasé.

"_Well, Miss Welsh, we do not accept excuses from our exchange students, considering that you were briefed and instructed on the proper way to act while abro-"_

" **I** did not act improper. I didn't realize there was static on the phone making it hard to hear. **I** was sexually harassed and **I** protected myself." Maybe it was the new hormones that were coursing through her body, or maybe it was the fact that she hadn't eaten since the night before, and she was starving but Micheal-ann was in no mood to fuck around with some middle aged woman who was trying to get her kicks off by making her feel puny.

The line was silent for a few moments, the woman clearly not used to getting her shit dished right back into her face, and done with such a polite attitude at that, that when she spoke again her voice was begrudging and short.

"_Either way Miss. Welsh, We will be expecting you back within the month, to finish out the semester back at Vassar. Upon your arrival, you will be needing to set up an appointment with department head, to discuss the repercussions of your time, and abrupt end of your exchange program."_ That shoved her right out of the smug haze she'd fallen into, and she literally shook her head and raised her hand to wag her finger at no one in particular, refusing to listen to what the woman just said.

"That can't be right, I'm still supposed to be our here for three months."

"_That was before you were kicked out of your program Miss. Welsh." _Realizing that she'd hit a nerve, that woman's tone regained it's blasé approach as Micheal-ann got the impression that the woman was sitting there inspecting her nails, and filing her horns.

"So I have to come back now?"

"_Now, Today, Tomorrow. We understand that on a student's budget it might take longer, that's why you are needed back in a months time. I really do have to get to other calls, so Miss Welsh, be back here by the fifth of March, or consider your semester credits null."_

The receptionist didn't even wait for Micheal to answer, merely shuffled the phone, and the receiver went blank, and then began to drum in her ear telling her that she was holding onto the phone now for no other reason than pure shock.

She hadn't thought past the fact that she'd no longer be working at FIMM. In all honesty she'd simply assumed that she'd stay here for the length of the research exchange student limit, and from there, well from there she and Ville would have figure that out then.

Now it was different, and then was now.

Slowly pulling the phone away from her ear, Micheal-ann flipped the phone shut as she stared out of the windshield, Helsinki falling and moving before her very eyes, falling away from her in more ways than one.

"March Fifth." The words felt like ice cold water pelting her, as Micheal flinched in her seat, not bothering to look to Ville knowing exactly what she'd see.

This, this was the true moment that was the pinnacle of their relationship.

They could fool themselves before with that fact that she'd be here for several more months, and they would decide then, but this was real and in their faces and there was no way that they were getting around this, at least not in any easy way.

Ville flipped the blinker for a right turn on, and glanced left and then right, before increasing pressure on the gas pedal of the car, and settled into the leather of the rental car as he racked his brain.

He had done the same thing that any man would do, and had put off the decision making for another day in the far future, and now that he was faced with it, he was dreading it.

When he'd received the call from his wife, telling him that she'd punched Hannu's lights out, he'd been proud and smug the entire car ride to the police station, knowing that his girl didn't need him to take care of herself, even in her condition.

Now, now he wished…. Wished what? That she hadn't defended herself against Hannu? No definitely not that, he just wished that the Finnish asshole had kept his damn hands and lips to himself.

But that was a stupid thought because even if Hannu hadn't done a damn thing, the time would come where he would have to decide what the next step would be with Micheal-ann, because with or without him, she'd still need to leave.

The words asking her to stay in Helsinki with him were on the tip of his tongue but he would never let them fall, not in a million years. He loved the small woman in his passenger seat far to much to ever ask her to give up anything more for him, that she had already willingly done.

Hell, she was carrying his child, and although it scared the living day lights out of her, she'd dealt with the matter gracefully, and had only been a feared that he'd resent her for the fact that it had been unplanned.

He'd married her, and that had been a surprise to everyone but him, and she'd once again absorbed the shock and smiled agreeing, giving up her own maiden name and title for his own.

She'd given a hell of a lot for him, it was time he did the same.

"I'll move with you back to New York."

The words hung like stars in the sky of the car, as Ville slowed the vehicle to a stop in the gravel driveway next to his, well their tower, turning the keys to still the engine, but made no move to leave the car or the matter.

Micheal-ann didn't feel right, something about it didn't feel right at all. Although she hadn't spoken the words she felt like she had asked him none the less to uproot and follow her back to New York.

He really hadn't even given her time to think anything through, unsure that she even wanted to return to Vassar. Of course she wanted to continue her research, continue to help lives of those with muscular dystrophy, but in the same breath, she wanted to be selfish for once in her life.

She'd always managed her actions and feelings by the drive for others. She'd always done everything by what could help or benefit others most, and now, now that she was married she didn't want to do that.

Micheal wanted to do stuff for herself, and for the benefit of her marriage, and now for the well being of her child.

Would going back to New York really do anything? After the summer, where she'd be working some job, she wouldn't return for her final year of schooling at Vassar she knew that. She'd be a balloon by then, and she would only want to focus on her child at hand.

Of course she was still thinking in terms of her and herself alone taking care of her baby, because honestly she didn't want to inhibit Ville just as much as she was sure he didn't want to do the same to her.

Micheal-ann wanted him to remain in Helsinki, make music that made him happy, stay with his band mates, and she wanted to be with him when he did that.

She could always go back to school later, but Ville had his shot now, and turning his back on it would only make him miserable, while she was happy either way.

"No, I'll stay in Helsinki." Ville scoffed and shook his head the same way Micheal had done minutes before, and gestured absent mindedly towards the tower pursing his lips.

"I'll rent out the tower until you're done with school, and I mean it wouldn't be the end of the world for the boys and I to create the new record in New York." Ville couldn't help the odd tremor that entered his voice, and he nearly socked himself in the face as it coursed through out his speech.

He needed to do this for his wife, who'd been giving him everything, and he hadn't done so in return.

As he opened his mouth to continue his tirade, A hand moved to cover his lips, as the fingertips grasped his jaw and forced his head slowly and gently to look towards Micheal-ann who's face held a look of absolute acceptance and calm.

The smile that she then gave him glued his arse straight to the leather of the car seat, her teeth straight, and her smile was the same one he'd seen two months ago, one late night after he'd scared off some droog thug and she'd looked at him as her savior.

Two month's ago, he'd seen his future wife in a dark alley, lost all to hell, and had invited her to use his phone.

Now here she sat, smiling that same smile, at him once again, and he realized that in a sense they were in the same damn place that they'd been in just that bit of time ago.

They both were in the crossroads of the back alley, except this time each way was a decision for their future, but right there was the sex shop or tower in the newer case, where'd they didn't have to choose anything but to go inside together.

All he needed to do was offer his arm, and all she needed to do was take it.

Micheal watched Ville's face as his worried eyes slowly fell away with the moments that passed by quickly, fading to show the kind and soft look at she'd only seen him give her, and after a few more moments of that one look she leaned across the car and kissed Ville chastely.

Only their lips met, but it was more than enough as the tingle that had always been present spread from their connected lips through out both of their bodies sending shiver after shiver throughout their respected spines, and cleared out racing thoughts.

They sat in that car, connected by the four strips of soft skin, until Micheal-ann pulled away, and rested her forehead on Ville's staring into his green eyes, her own green dark and inviting.

"I am going to stay in Helsinki. This is where my mother left from, this is where Alex is, and this is also where I met you. I am not ready to leave, not yet, maybe not ever. I want to stay here with you."

Ville swallowed slowly before muttering half assed.

"What about when I go on tour, what will happen th-"

"Then you will go on tour, and we will figure that out then. For now, your home making an album and that is now. We've done well so far living in the present, rather than the future. How about we keep true to what's been working?"

Her smile grew wicked as she pecked his lips again softly, pulling away quickly to nuzzle her nose against her own personal Finnish rock star.

"What about bioengineering?"

"Just because I'm here, with you, or pregnant, does not mean I can't do anything! Shit, did you not see how I just laid out a full grown older man, might I add, while having morning sickness? I could solve world hunger, and cancer at the rate I'm going."

"Well that's a little extreme.." Ville grinned at his wife who laughed, and then suddenly began to move from her passenger seat, and drew up her legs shoving her body from one side of the car to sit her self straight on to his lap, one leg on each side of his body on the seat facing him, as her butt rested on the car's steering wheel, which would have been incredibly sexy, had the car horn not started up, blaring uninterrupted.

Micheal-ann Valo didn't even notice the noise as she nuzzled her face against Ville Valo's her eyes closed, her heart open.

"We do extreme things. We're not normal and I don't think we ever could be. I'm your lost American, and you're my sex shop Fin. Remember I'm Buddhist, and we believe in Karma. You're the good that I've worked so hard for these past years, I'm not about to let that go so easily."

With those words, Micheal-ann captured Ville's lips silencing any further arguments he might have had, and nothing more was needed to be said, as the Valo's necked in the drivers seat of the car, going out with horns blaring….. as opposed to gun's blazing that is.


	28. Epilogue

"Honey you are a rock  
>Upon which I stand<br>And I come here to talk  
>I hope you understand"<p>

Micheal-ann Valo, as shown on her drivers license as well as her social security card, smiled in the dark of the large concert hall, as her husband strummed at a guitar, the soft tone nearly the direct opposite of what he'd just been playing.

Thankfully the Finnish crowd to her left, separated only by a thin metal gate that they honored like god if only because a few large men stood on her side staring out at the crowd, seemed to connect with the soft melody that he sang.

In fact several people began to hold their cell phones, as well as lighters and all manner of other small lights into the air letting the words Ville sang softly into the microphone resonate within the hall and their souls.

Ville Valo looked absolutely handsome as he bit his lip, moving his fingers against the neck of the guitar concentrating on the song that both his wife and he had sang together nearly a million times as they'd gone about their day.

Thinking of his wife for the first time again in under a minute, he glanced down the median between the stage and the crowd to find his green eyed American smiling up at him, her arms wrapped around a small boy, with bright hazel green eyes, and red pouty lips that were hidden by a small brown teddy bear he had up to his face for comfort.

Leevi Valo, turning six the very next day, on November first had insisted that he had wanted to come to his daddies' job.

He had whined for nearly hours on the fact that mommy, who always brought home tons of paperwork and other boring stuff got to go, and because he was goanna be a big boy, he should get to go to!

"That green eyes, yeah the spotlight, shines upon you  
>And how could, anybody, deny you" <p>

Leevi had been cooped up in the hotel room for nearly an entire day, and with his constant pleading and nagging both Micheal-ann and Ville finally repented.

They'd both been absolute suckers to the little boys charms from the moment he'd been born, and if someone had said that they'd spoiled their son, neither of the Valo's would argue it.

Micheal-ann had given birth seven months after she'd called in her resignation from the bioengineering program at Vassar, and had to Ville's pleasure, settled down at the tower in Helsinki.

HIM had managed to finish an entire album by that time, and oddly they had insisted that no, they did not need to tour this time.

A tour could wait, but right then Ville had needed to stay with his wife, and his new son and honestly Ville was grateful for his friends and band mates who could understand that at that point in his life, he didn't want to be the travelling rock star.

Ville grinned at Leevi and waved a hand before returning to the guitar ballad, as his son squealed in excitement and tugged at his mother's curls pointing at Ville as he nearly bounced out of her arms.

Micheal groaned and clutched onto her son, as he waggled the teddy bear against his chin and chest lamenting to Micheal as he pulled at her hair softly his wide eyes bright and fascinated.

"That's daddie, Momma." The pure hero worship within in her small son's eyes made her heart swell with pride and love as she hugged the boy to her chest, even as he wiggled in her grasp giggling against her hair as he wrapped his small arms around her head returning the hug.

Micheal-ann breathed Leevi in, and just like each time she held him close, her eyes began to water as she closed them sending a silent thank you to Buddha, to all the karma that had delivered Ville and her son into her life.

Now Twenty-eight, She had never wanted for anything ever again, and Ville had made sure of that.

Ville had kept all his promises, stayed by her side at every turn, and that had repaired anything inside Micheal-ann that might have ruined anything they could have been.

Together, They'd bought a small apartment near Vassar, along with the tower, and after Leevi had been three years old, she'd gone back to school, and back to her bioengineering.

Over the course of sleepless nights she'd been kept up by Leevi's crying, she'd perfected the formula for the polymer, and once she'd published her formula and findings, she'd been practically begged to continue her training, and although she'd gotten several incredible offers from incredible places she'd returned to Vassar.

Returned to the very place that had brought her her husband and son, and the same place that let her save the only person she'd really needed to save all along.

Herself.

"I came here with a load  
>And it feels so much lighter, now I've met you<br>And honey you should know, that I could never go on without you"

Ville smiled against the microphone, as he watched his little boy clamber all over his mother, his smile shining even in the darkness as he bobbed up and down.

Those years, far off now, where he'd spent countless nights up wondering what the hell he was going to do with his life after all the music, after all the fan's had gone, and although that extreme hadn't come around yet, he knew exactly what he his future was.

His future was the little boy with his nose, and his wife's lips.

Humming to the melody of the song, Ville glanced out into the crowd again, and then to the right side of the stage where a few old faces and new ones peered at him with smiles and other gestures of happiness.

His mother, on hiatus from her constant travelling, stood underneath the long lanky arm of his father both watching him with chaste smiles on their lips. Kari had wasted no time, once realizing that he was to be a grandfather, by buying a hoard of sweater vest's complaining that he needed 'to look more grandpa for le petite Mikel'.

Jesse leaned against a banister, reminiscent of the first time Micheal had been to one of his shows, his girlfriend Sarea underneath his arms as he hovered behind her, his arms thrown over her shoulders holding her body to him.

A bearded face that was five years sober, and no longer looked perpetually tired, grinned at him, as Bam Margera stood, an ice tea firmly in his right hand, his wedding finger bare.

A small woman, the size of a gangly teenager really, bobbed her head along to the soft melody, as Alexandra's hand rested on her stomach which was slightly distended and swollen. As Ville glanced past her he full out grinned as her boyfriend, hair disheveled was practically bouncing off the wall as he rushed to bring his hormonal girlfriend a water bottle.

"Honey you are the sea  
>Upon which I float<br>And I came here to talk  
>I think you should know"<p>

Everyone had made the trek to the show that night, or to Helsinki to celebrate Leevi's sixth birthday, and as Ville sung into the microphone a smug sense of excitement rushed through him at the surprise he had for all of them.

Micheal glanced to the people that Ville had been staring at from his post on stage and grinned at the people they loved and loved them in return, and her smile only grew wider as another shape moved to stand next to the sitting Alexandra, and fusing Lauri.

No more than four' eleven, the woman's tiny smile was aged beautifully, and her own mixed blue green eyes held such a depth of calm and happiness it literally settled any frazzled nerves that Micheal-ann may have had from her son, or anything else.

Her dirty blonde hair lay against her shoulders in curls that she'd past down to her daughter, her skin like worn leather that although told of old age, also spoke of majesty.

Yolanda Welsh, was every inch the majestic mother, as she stood silently to the side of her bulging niece, watching the son-in-law that had saved her daughter when she couldn't.

No apology had been needed from her mother, Micheal-ann hadn't wanted it either, because the night after she'd given birth to Leevi, her mother had moved into her hospital room and that had been enough.

Ville of course had been the one to contact her mother, and it had only made her love him that much more, and as he sat up on stage, his band moving about behind him to set up instruments for the next song, he sang for her.

He sang for the past six years of love, of the intense fights that had always ended with one of them leaving the house, the nights spent up watching over their son, and for the thousands of minutes were they'd made each other happy, he sang.

For the family that stood for them, and the family they'd built together, and the life they'd made out of a chance meeting in a back alley.

Ville sang, Micheal-ann listened.

Leevi grew, and that was all they needed now.

"That green eyes, you're the one that I wanted to find  
>And anyone who, tried to deny you must be out of their mind<br>Cause I came here with a load  
>And it feels so much lighter, since I met you<br>Honey you should know, that I could never go on without you"


End file.
